GENEVA (Reuters) - A clash between the United States and two big emerging markets, China and India, over cutting farm and industrial tariffs threatened to derail more than a week of work to salvage a world trade deal Monday.
"We are very much concerned about the direction that a couple of countries are taking," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said during a break on the eighth day of World Trade Organisation talks.
"I am very concerned it will jeopardise the outcome of this round," she told reporters.
Her comments reflected strong differences over U.S. demands for countries to agree to deep tariff cuts in at least some manufacturing sectors and China and India's insistence that developing countries be given a strong new tool to guard against agricultural import surges.
David Shark, deputy U.S. ambassador to the WTO, said resistance by India and China to opening up to more imports had thrown the global trade talks into their "gravest jeopardy" since their launch in 2001.
China responded quickly. "We have tried very hard to contribute to the success of the round," its WTO ambassador Sun Zhenyu told delegates. "It is a little bit surprising that at this time the U.S. started this finger-pointing.
TRIAL RUN FOR CLIMATE TALKS?
Top trade officials from around 30 key WTO members have been in Geneva since last Monday to try to agree on terms for cutting farm subsidies and tariffs on agricultural and manufactured goods. After a rough start, the talks appeared to be making progress just as problems resurfaced again.
The meeting has been described by some European officials as a test of a changing balance of power in the world as developing economies grow in confidence, and also a possible trial run for climate change talks.
India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told reporters India had never agreed to Lamy's package, but had continued talks in the hope of winning further concessions from developed countries.
"I'm still hoping we will see some movement. I'm still optimistic," Nath told reporters after meeting ministers from seven key WTO players.
Priorities include deeper reductions in allowed spending on developed country farm subsidies than the proposed 70 percent cut for the United States and 80 percent cut for the EU in the current package, he said.
Developing countries also need a better "special safeguard mechanism" to help ward off import surges or price collapses in farm products, and long-awaited action on U.S. cotton subsidies which hurt developing country farmers, he said.
The United States, under pressure to cut its farm subsidies and tariffs in core markets such as autos and clothing, insists developing countries make significant openings in return.
In manufacturing, it wants China, India and others to agree to "sectoral" negotiations, in which a critical mass of countries would agree to cut tariffs to as close to zero as possible for industries ranging from jewellery to chemicals.
The United States and many other farm exporters, such as Uruguay and Paraguay, also fear the proposed safeguard mechanism would let developing countries massively increase tariffs in response to normal growth in trade.
Separately, France kept up pressure on EU trade chief Peter Mandelson not to agree to a deal that meant farm concessions in return for little gains elsewhere.
VOLUNTARY OR NOT?
WTO members endorsed the idea of "voluntary" sectoral agreements at ministerial meetings in Hong Kong in 2005.
China and India object to a compromise provision which encourages countries to take part in at least two sectoral talks by allowing them lower cuts in other industrial tariffs.
Developed countries want sectorals in "machinery, chemicals and automobiles, in which they enjoy substantial export advantage" and are pressuring developing countries to join in, said Lu Xiankun, a Chinese press counsellor.
In agriculture negotiations, "China has indicated that it intends to shield cotton, sugar, rice and other commodities from any tariff cuts whatsoever", U.S. envoy Shark said.
That makes it much harder for the White House to sell farm subsidy cuts to Congress, particularly for cotton, which WTO members have agreed will face faster and deeper reductions.
Lu noted the United States would be able to spend up to $14.5 billion on trade-distorting subsidies under the proposed deal, or about twice what it currently does.
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Monday, 28 July 2008
Saturday, 26 July 2008
China Surpasses U.S. in Number of Internet Users
SHANGHAI — China said the number of Internet users in the country reached about 253 million last month, putting it ahead of the United States as the world’s biggest Internet market.
The estimate, based on a national phone survey and released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Center in Beijing, showed a powerful surge in Internet adoption in this country over the last few years, particularly among teenagers.
The number of Internet users jumped more than 50 percent, or by about 90 million people, during the last year, said the center, which operates under the government-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences. The new estimate represents only about 19 percent of China’s population, underscoring the potential for growth.
By contrast, about 220 million Americans are online, or 70 percent of the population, according to the Nielsen Company. Japan and South Korea have similarly high percentages.
Political content on Web sites inside China is heavily censored, and foreign sites operating here have faced restrictions. But online gaming, blogs, and social networking and entertainment sites are extremely popular among young people in China.
The survey found that nearly 70 percent of China’s Internet users were 30 or younger, and that in the first half of this year, high school students were, by far, the fastest-growing segment of new users, accounting for 39 million of the 43 million new users in that period.
With Internet use booming, so is Web advertising. The investment firm Morgan Stanley says online advertising in China is growing by 60 to 70 percent a year, and forecasts that by the end of this year, it could be a $1.7 billion market.
China’s biggest Internet companies, including Baidu, Sina, Tencent and Alibaba, are thriving, and in many cases are outperforming the China-based operations of American Internet giants like Google, Yahoo and eBay.
“The Internet market is the fastest-growing consumer market sector in China,” said Richard Ji, an Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley. “We are still far from saturation. So the next three to five years, we’re still going to see hyper-growth in this market.”
Baidu, for instance, said on Thursday that its second-quarter net profit had jumped 81 percent. During that period, Baidu had a 63 percent share of China’s search engine market, while Google had about 26 percent, with Yahoo trailing far behind, according to iResearch, a market research firm based in Beijing.
Tencent, a popular site for social networking and gaming, now has a stock market value of $15 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable Internet companies. In comparison, Amazon.com is valued at about $30 billion.
One measure of the growth of the Internet here, and its social and entertainment functions, is the popularity of blogs.
The site of China’s most popular blogger, the actress Xu Jinglei, has attracted more than 174 million visitors over the last few years, according to Sina.com, the popular Web portal, which posts a live tally. According to Sina, 11 other bloggers have also attracted more than 100 million visitors in recent years.
The Internet’s popularity often poses serious challenges to the government. Online gambling, pornography, videos of protests and addiction have led to regular campaigns to crack down on what the government views as vices. But Internet users have also used the Web for nationalist campaigns to criticize the Western news media or foreign companies, as was the case after riots broke out in Tibet this year.
While several organizations had projected that China would surpass the United States in Internet users this year, the new survey results were the first time a government agency had released figures showing China’s market to be larger than that of the United States.
The estimate, based on a national phone survey and released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Center in Beijing, showed a powerful surge in Internet adoption in this country over the last few years, particularly among teenagers.
The number of Internet users jumped more than 50 percent, or by about 90 million people, during the last year, said the center, which operates under the government-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences. The new estimate represents only about 19 percent of China’s population, underscoring the potential for growth.
By contrast, about 220 million Americans are online, or 70 percent of the population, according to the Nielsen Company. Japan and South Korea have similarly high percentages.
Political content on Web sites inside China is heavily censored, and foreign sites operating here have faced restrictions. But online gaming, blogs, and social networking and entertainment sites are extremely popular among young people in China.
The survey found that nearly 70 percent of China’s Internet users were 30 or younger, and that in the first half of this year, high school students were, by far, the fastest-growing segment of new users, accounting for 39 million of the 43 million new users in that period.
With Internet use booming, so is Web advertising. The investment firm Morgan Stanley says online advertising in China is growing by 60 to 70 percent a year, and forecasts that by the end of this year, it could be a $1.7 billion market.
China’s biggest Internet companies, including Baidu, Sina, Tencent and Alibaba, are thriving, and in many cases are outperforming the China-based operations of American Internet giants like Google, Yahoo and eBay.
“The Internet market is the fastest-growing consumer market sector in China,” said Richard Ji, an Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley. “We are still far from saturation. So the next three to five years, we’re still going to see hyper-growth in this market.”
Baidu, for instance, said on Thursday that its second-quarter net profit had jumped 81 percent. During that period, Baidu had a 63 percent share of China’s search engine market, while Google had about 26 percent, with Yahoo trailing far behind, according to iResearch, a market research firm based in Beijing.
Tencent, a popular site for social networking and gaming, now has a stock market value of $15 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable Internet companies. In comparison, Amazon.com is valued at about $30 billion.
One measure of the growth of the Internet here, and its social and entertainment functions, is the popularity of blogs.
The site of China’s most popular blogger, the actress Xu Jinglei, has attracted more than 174 million visitors over the last few years, according to Sina.com, the popular Web portal, which posts a live tally. According to Sina, 11 other bloggers have also attracted more than 100 million visitors in recent years.
The Internet’s popularity often poses serious challenges to the government. Online gambling, pornography, videos of protests and addiction have led to regular campaigns to crack down on what the government views as vices. But Internet users have also used the Web for nationalist campaigns to criticize the Western news media or foreign companies, as was the case after riots broke out in Tibet this year.
While several organizations had projected that China would surpass the United States in Internet users this year, the new survey results were the first time a government agency had released figures showing China’s market to be larger than that of the United States.
China’s Genocide Olympics -By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The Beijing Olympics this summer were supposed to be China’s coming-out party, celebrating the end of nearly two centuries of weakness, poverty and humiliation.
Instead, China’s leaders are tarnishing their own Olympiad by abetting genocide in Darfur and in effect undermining the U.N. military deployment there. The result is a growing international campaign to brand these “The Genocide Olympics.”
This is not a boycott of the Olympics. But expect Darfur-related protests at Chinese Embassies, as well as banners and armbands among both athletes and spectators. There’s a growing recognition that perhaps the best way of averting hundreds of thousands more deaths in Sudan is to use the leverage of the Olympics to shame China into more responsible behavior.
The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA. That is the latest year for which figures are available.
China provided Sudan with A-5 Fantan bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, K-8 military training/attack aircraft and light weapons used in Sudan’s proxy invasion of Chad last year. China also uses the threat of its veto on the Security Council to block U.N. action against Sudan so that there is a growing risk of a catastrophic humiliation for the U.N. itself.
Sudan feels confident enough with Chinese backing that on Jan. 7, the Sudanese military ambushed a clearly marked U.N. convoy of peacekeepers in Darfur. Sudan claimed the attack was a mistake, but diplomats and U.N. professionals are confident that this was a deliberate attack ordered by the Sudanese leaders to put the U.N. in its place.
Sudan has already barred units from Sweden, Norway, Nepal, Thailand and other countries from joining the U.N. force. It has banned night flights, dithered on a status-of-forces agreement, held up communications equipment and refused to allow the U.N. to bring in foreign helicopters. The growing fear is that the U.N. force will be humiliated in Sudan as it was in Rwanda and Bosnia, causing enormous damage to international peacekeeping.
Another possible sign of Sudan’s confidence: an American diplomat, John Granville, was ambushed and murdered in Khartoum early this month. Many in the diplomatic and intelligence community believe that such an assassination could not happen in Khartoum unless elements of the government were involved.
Chinese officials argue that they are engaging in quiet diplomacy with Sudan’s leaders and that this is the best way to seek a solution in Darfur. They note that Sudan has other backers, and that China’s influence is limited.
It is true that since the start of the “Genocide Olympics” campaign (www.dreamfordarfur.org) a year ago, China has been more helpful, and it’s only because of Chinese pressure on Khartoum that U.N. peacekeepers were admitted to Darfur at all. But the basic reality is that China continues to side with Sudan — it backed Sudan again after it ambushed the U.N. peacekeepers — and Sudan feels protected enough that it goes on thumbing its nose at the international community.
Just a few days ago, Sudan appointed Musa Hilal, a founding leader of the Arab militia known as the janjaweed, to a position in the central government. This is the man who was once quoted as having expressed gratitude for “the necessary weapons and ammunition to exterminate the African tribes in Darfur.”
Other countries also must do much more, but China is crucial. If Beijing were to suspend all transfers of arms and spare parts to Sudan until a peace deal is reached in Darfur, then that would change the dynamic. President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would be terrified — especially since he is now preparing to resume war with South Sudan — and would realize that China is no longer willing to let its Olympics be stained by Darfuri blood.
Without his Chinese shield, Mr. Bashir would be more likely to make concessions to Darfur rebels and negotiate seriously with them, and he would no longer have political cover to resume war against South Sudan. That would make long-term peace more likely in Darfur and also in South Sudan.
I’m a great fan of China’s achievements, and I’ve often defended Beijing from unfair protectionist rhetoric spouted by American politicians. But those of us who admire China’s accomplishments find it difficult to give credit when Beijing simultaneously underwrites the ultimate crime of genocide.
China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power. But so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics.
Instead, China’s leaders are tarnishing their own Olympiad by abetting genocide in Darfur and in effect undermining the U.N. military deployment there. The result is a growing international campaign to brand these “The Genocide Olympics.”
This is not a boycott of the Olympics. But expect Darfur-related protests at Chinese Embassies, as well as banners and armbands among both athletes and spectators. There’s a growing recognition that perhaps the best way of averting hundreds of thousands more deaths in Sudan is to use the leverage of the Olympics to shame China into more responsible behavior.
The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA. That is the latest year for which figures are available.
China provided Sudan with A-5 Fantan bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, K-8 military training/attack aircraft and light weapons used in Sudan’s proxy invasion of Chad last year. China also uses the threat of its veto on the Security Council to block U.N. action against Sudan so that there is a growing risk of a catastrophic humiliation for the U.N. itself.
Sudan feels confident enough with Chinese backing that on Jan. 7, the Sudanese military ambushed a clearly marked U.N. convoy of peacekeepers in Darfur. Sudan claimed the attack was a mistake, but diplomats and U.N. professionals are confident that this was a deliberate attack ordered by the Sudanese leaders to put the U.N. in its place.
Sudan has already barred units from Sweden, Norway, Nepal, Thailand and other countries from joining the U.N. force. It has banned night flights, dithered on a status-of-forces agreement, held up communications equipment and refused to allow the U.N. to bring in foreign helicopters. The growing fear is that the U.N. force will be humiliated in Sudan as it was in Rwanda and Bosnia, causing enormous damage to international peacekeeping.
Another possible sign of Sudan’s confidence: an American diplomat, John Granville, was ambushed and murdered in Khartoum early this month. Many in the diplomatic and intelligence community believe that such an assassination could not happen in Khartoum unless elements of the government were involved.
Chinese officials argue that they are engaging in quiet diplomacy with Sudan’s leaders and that this is the best way to seek a solution in Darfur. They note that Sudan has other backers, and that China’s influence is limited.
It is true that since the start of the “Genocide Olympics” campaign (www.dreamfordarfur.org) a year ago, China has been more helpful, and it’s only because of Chinese pressure on Khartoum that U.N. peacekeepers were admitted to Darfur at all. But the basic reality is that China continues to side with Sudan — it backed Sudan again after it ambushed the U.N. peacekeepers — and Sudan feels protected enough that it goes on thumbing its nose at the international community.
Just a few days ago, Sudan appointed Musa Hilal, a founding leader of the Arab militia known as the janjaweed, to a position in the central government. This is the man who was once quoted as having expressed gratitude for “the necessary weapons and ammunition to exterminate the African tribes in Darfur.”
Other countries also must do much more, but China is crucial. If Beijing were to suspend all transfers of arms and spare parts to Sudan until a peace deal is reached in Darfur, then that would change the dynamic. President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would be terrified — especially since he is now preparing to resume war with South Sudan — and would realize that China is no longer willing to let its Olympics be stained by Darfuri blood.
Without his Chinese shield, Mr. Bashir would be more likely to make concessions to Darfur rebels and negotiate seriously with them, and he would no longer have political cover to resume war against South Sudan. That would make long-term peace more likely in Darfur and also in South Sudan.
I’m a great fan of China’s achievements, and I’ve often defended Beijing from unfair protectionist rhetoric spouted by American politicians. But those of us who admire China’s accomplishments find it difficult to give credit when Beijing simultaneously underwrites the ultimate crime of genocide.
China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power. But so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics.
Friday, 25 July 2008
Soul Carriage
Made for around £100,000, British filmmaker Conrad Clark's Soul Carriage is a powerful depiction of working class modern-day rural life. What's most remarkable about it, however, is that it's set in China with a Chinese cast and told entirely in Mandarin. How did a 28-year-old English anthropology student end up spending two years in China on a movie which went on to scoop the New Director's Award at the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival? Conrad Clark talks here about the making of his debut feature...Tell us how you came to make this film in China?Conrad Clark: I ended up in China partly by chance, partly by interest. I'd just done a Masters in Anthropology in London and a Taiwanese producer friend of mine [Wendy Kuan] also wanted to move to Shanghai to set up a little film company. Another friend of mine, Saleh Karama, had a small script that he was developing, which was the original idea of Soul Carriage. We put these elements together and thought we could make the film happen in China. We went out there to check it out, I started working on the script, we found some finance from Taiwan and we were off.What about the logistics of filming in China? It sounds like a very controlling environment for filmmakers...There's two ways you can make a movie in China: one is the official way, the other is the unofficial way. We tried to do the official way but we didn't get through the bureaucracy in time so we just went, "What the hell, we'll shoot it anyway!" We were applying for all of our licences anyway so we weren't what they call an 'underground' film in China, and we didn't have too many big problems whilst we were shooting. The key is we had a couple of really good guides with us in Shanghai who speak Shanghainese, because the police come and interrupt you nearly every day. These guides just knew how to speak to them, how to handle them, and it was fine. We're still trying to get our licence to show the film in China, and I think we will get it soon.How's your Chinese? Do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin?I speak Mandarin and a little bit of Shanghainese. When I was shooting I spoke very basic Mandarin, but by the time I'd finished editing I spoke pretty good Mandarin. Tell us about your cast and where you found them...I found a few actors in the theatre from going to as many productions as possible. For the main actor, I went and stayed on a building construction site in China for a few days and slept in the dormitories and found this one guy there, Yang Feng Jun. He was one of the bosses of a bunch of young guys and he was quite quiet and I didn't really speak to him that much, but he just had something about him, an interesting style... the way he ate, the way he interacted with the other people. So I invited him to Shanghai and started doing some casting sessions with him and every time he just kept getting it. In the end I went for him and I'm really happy with that choice.What about the production itself. You said you weren't an underground production, but I assume you shot with a small crew and tried to stay low profile?We were pretty low profile. We shot on a Sony HD camera, the F900, and it's still a pretty big camera with big lenses on it, so we were about 20-30 people most of the time. Pretty much the whole crew was Chinese - there were a couple of Taiwanese people as well - and we just came together really well as a team. That crew is still together and working on film productions in Shanghai now.To the western eye, a lot of China - especially the provincial side - is virgin territory...One of my big aims with this film was to do something very modern in the countryside in China. We know Beijing, Shanghai and the modern cities of China a little, but there's still very little idea of what's going on in the Chinese countryside. I wanted to focus on how these 100-year-old houses are going through their first round of development and their second round of development. This became part of the theme of the film and helped me construct my plot as we went through this environment, affecting the psychology of the character.Soul Carriage portrays modern working class Chinese life. Is this a world the Chinese are used to seeing on screen?I think in China this world is pretty well known. I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Wang Xiaoshuai, he's one of the leading Chinese new generation directors and he's been depicting lots of these middle countryside towns and focusing on that kind of life.Tell us about your cast and where you found them...I found a few actors in the theatre from going to as many productions as possible. For the main actor, I went and stayed on a building construction site in China for a few days and slept in the dormitories and found this one guy there, Yang Feng Jun. He was one of the bosses of a bunch of young guys and he was quite quiet and I didn't really speak to him that much, but he just had something about him, an interesting style... the way he ate, the way he interacted with the other people. So I invited him to Shanghai and started doing some casting sessions with him and every time he just kept getting it. In the end I went for him and I'm really happy with that choice.What about the production itself. You said you weren't an underground production, but I assume you shot with a small crew and tried to stay low profile?We were pretty low profile. We shot on a Sony HD camera, the F900, and it's still a pretty big camera with big lenses on it, so we were about 20-30 people most of the time. Pretty much the whole crew was Chinese - there were a couple of Taiwanese people as well - and we just came together really well as a team. That crew is still together and working on film productions in Shanghai now.To the western eye, a lot of China - especially the provincial side - is virgin territory...One of my big aims with this film was to do something very modern in the countryside in China. We know Beijing, Shanghai and the modern cities of China a little, but there's still very little idea of what's going on in the Chinese countryside. I wanted to focus on how these 100-year-old houses are going through their first round of development and their second round of development. This became part of the theme of the film and helped me construct my plot as we went through this environment, affecting the psychology of the character.Soul Carriage portrays modern working class Chinese life. Is this a world the Chinese are used to seeing on screen?I think in China this world is pretty well known. I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Wang Xiaoshuai, he's one of the leading Chinese new generation directors and he's been depicting lots of these middle countryside towns and focusing on that kind of life. You studied anthropolgy, and your interest in people shines through in the film. What about the directing side, though, how did you find that side of things?They're two very different things. It's easy to come to a place, spend a long time there and produce an ethnographic-type film or an intellectual study of it. But I'm a really big believer in the concept of quite pure cinema. I did a year at film school in London, but I think I've learned most about cinema from sitting at the NFT in London going through all the master directors and seeing them on the big screen. For this film directors like Antonioni were big influences - where the relationship between the characters and the environment becomes a sub-plot, if you like.Have you been able to screen the film to anyone in China? If so, what's the response been like?The Chinese people that watch the film haven't really committed to big comments about the film, to be honest. Generally what people tell me when they see the film is that it could easily have been directed by a Chinese guy and they are surprised when they see my face! I've been getting a lot of that. In Europe I guess people are trying to get to the root of the film and get me to commit to what I think about China right now. And what are you saying about China right now?I guess it's some sort of comparison between the new industrialisation versus the old ways, the more natural ways. I'm not trying to commit overtly to a stance, I'm just trying to show one reality - which is the reality I've seen in the Chinese countryside - through the narrative of someone going back to the countryside and looking for some kind of roots, which are slightly disappearing in China. You studied anthropolgy, and your interest in people shines through in the film. What about the directing side, though, how did you find that side of things?They're two very different things. It's easy to come to a place, spend a long time there and produce an ethnographic-type film or an intellectual study of it. But I'm a really big believer in the concept of quite pure cinema. I did a year at film school in London, but I think I've learned most about cinema from sitting at the NFT in London going through all the master directors and seeing them on the big screen. For this film directors like Antonioni were big influences - where the relationship between the characters and the environment becomes a sub-plot, if you like.Have you been able to screen the film to anyone in China? If so, what's the response been like?The Chinese people that watch the film haven't really committed to big comments about the film, to be honest. Generally what people tell me when they see the film is that it could easily have been directed by a Chinese guy and they are surprised when they see my face! I've been getting a lot of that. In Europe I guess people are trying to get to the root of the film and get me to commit to what I think about China right now. And what are you saying about China right now?I guess it's some sort of comparison between the new industrialisation versus the old ways, the more natural ways. I'm not trying to commit overtly to a stance, I'm just trying to show one reality - which is the reality I've seen in the Chinese countryside - through the narrative of someone going back to the countryside and looking for some kind of roots, which are slightly disappearing in China.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
China to set up Olympic protest zones
BEIJING, China (AP) -- Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said Wednesday, in a sign China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games.
Worries about terrorist attacks, both from international groups and Muslim separatists from western China, and about protests of any kind have prompted one of China's broadest security clampdowns in years. The overall effect is that while Beijing looks cheerful, with colorful Olympic banners and new signs, the city feels tense.
Vehicle checkpoints ring Beijing. Visa rules have been tightened to keep out foreign activists. Police have swept Beijing neighborhoods to remove Chinese who have come to the capital to complain about local government misdeeds, and known political critics and underground Christians have been told to leave.
But Liu Shaowu, director for security for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, said Wednesday that areas in at least three public parks near outlying sporting venues have been set aside for use by demonstrators.
The remarks were the first public confirmation that Beijing may tolerate a modest amount of protest at an Olympics that the government hoped would be flawless, boosting its popularity at home and China's image abroad.
"This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said Ni Jianping, director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, who lobbied Chinese leaders to set up the protest zones.
It was not clear how easy access would be to enter the zones. Liu and Beijing police would not say if special permission would be needed. A human rights campaigner criticized the move as cosmetic, and Beijing has already refused visa requests for known foreign activists.
A Beijinger whose restaurant was demolished in the city's Olympic makeover and who was jailed for trying to organize a protest, Ye Guoqiang, was taken from the Chaobai Prison on Tuesday to an unknown location, four days before he was due to be released, the monitoring group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Wednesday. Police in Ye's old neighborhood said they were not aware of the case.
Liu, the security official, said police were trying to strike a balance between the need for safety and the desire for festiveness.
"We truly do want to preserve the festive and joyful atmosphere of the Olympic Venues," Liu told a news conference. "At the same time we want to reduce the impact security has on daily life."
He said threats from terrorism were real, given the international climate, and that the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Beijing presented a ripe opportunity for infiltration.
In approving the protest zones, Liu said officials noted that Athens set up such areas for the 2004 games. The Salt Lake City Winter Games of 2002 did too. "We have already designated specific areas where people or protesters who want to express their personal opinions can go to do so," Liu said.
Protests have become commonplace in many parts of China in recent years, especially by state industry workers upset about layoffs and farmers angry about land confiscation. But China's leadership remains wary about demonstrations in the capital or large-scale protests anywhere, fearing they could snowball into widespread anti-government movements. Three violent protests have occurred in far-flung provinces in recent weeks.
In a sign of Chinese nervousness, the special protest areas are not near the Olympic green where most venues and medal ceremonies are concentrated, but rather are in outlying parks: the World Park in the southwest, 3 miles from the softball venue; the Purple Bamboo Park in the west, south of the volleyball arena; and Chaoyang Park in the east where beach volleyball will be played.
Liu also reiterated that Chinese regulations require that all protesters apply and receive permission in advance, though he sidestepped questions about whether that included the special zones. Ni, the Shanghai scholar, said that Chinese protesters may be allowed only in the rather far World Park, not in the other venues.
"Designating unilaterally 'protest zones' for demonstrators does not equate to respecting the right to demonstrate because in this situation control comes first and the right second," said Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch's Asia Division.
Still, supporters of the zones said the move was a step forward. Susan Brownell, an American academic at Beijing Sports University who wrote a proposal that Ni forwarded to government officials, said her research found that the zones would help deflect criticism from all but the more extreme rights groups -- an argument she thought the government bought.
"It was about placating the West. They were really concerned about social order," Brownell said. "They must have come up with a plan to improve social order rather than make it worse."
Worries about terrorist attacks, both from international groups and Muslim separatists from western China, and about protests of any kind have prompted one of China's broadest security clampdowns in years. The overall effect is that while Beijing looks cheerful, with colorful Olympic banners and new signs, the city feels tense.
Vehicle checkpoints ring Beijing. Visa rules have been tightened to keep out foreign activists. Police have swept Beijing neighborhoods to remove Chinese who have come to the capital to complain about local government misdeeds, and known political critics and underground Christians have been told to leave.
But Liu Shaowu, director for security for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, said Wednesday that areas in at least three public parks near outlying sporting venues have been set aside for use by demonstrators.
The remarks were the first public confirmation that Beijing may tolerate a modest amount of protest at an Olympics that the government hoped would be flawless, boosting its popularity at home and China's image abroad.
"This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said Ni Jianping, director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, who lobbied Chinese leaders to set up the protest zones.
It was not clear how easy access would be to enter the zones. Liu and Beijing police would not say if special permission would be needed. A human rights campaigner criticized the move as cosmetic, and Beijing has already refused visa requests for known foreign activists.
A Beijinger whose restaurant was demolished in the city's Olympic makeover and who was jailed for trying to organize a protest, Ye Guoqiang, was taken from the Chaobai Prison on Tuesday to an unknown location, four days before he was due to be released, the monitoring group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Wednesday. Police in Ye's old neighborhood said they were not aware of the case.
Liu, the security official, said police were trying to strike a balance between the need for safety and the desire for festiveness.
"We truly do want to preserve the festive and joyful atmosphere of the Olympic Venues," Liu told a news conference. "At the same time we want to reduce the impact security has on daily life."
He said threats from terrorism were real, given the international climate, and that the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Beijing presented a ripe opportunity for infiltration.
In approving the protest zones, Liu said officials noted that Athens set up such areas for the 2004 games. The Salt Lake City Winter Games of 2002 did too. "We have already designated specific areas where people or protesters who want to express their personal opinions can go to do so," Liu said.
Protests have become commonplace in many parts of China in recent years, especially by state industry workers upset about layoffs and farmers angry about land confiscation. But China's leadership remains wary about demonstrations in the capital or large-scale protests anywhere, fearing they could snowball into widespread anti-government movements. Three violent protests have occurred in far-flung provinces in recent weeks.
In a sign of Chinese nervousness, the special protest areas are not near the Olympic green where most venues and medal ceremonies are concentrated, but rather are in outlying parks: the World Park in the southwest, 3 miles from the softball venue; the Purple Bamboo Park in the west, south of the volleyball arena; and Chaoyang Park in the east where beach volleyball will be played.
Liu also reiterated that Chinese regulations require that all protesters apply and receive permission in advance, though he sidestepped questions about whether that included the special zones. Ni, the Shanghai scholar, said that Chinese protesters may be allowed only in the rather far World Park, not in the other venues.
"Designating unilaterally 'protest zones' for demonstrators does not equate to respecting the right to demonstrate because in this situation control comes first and the right second," said Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch's Asia Division.
Still, supporters of the zones said the move was a step forward. Susan Brownell, an American academic at Beijing Sports University who wrote a proposal that Ni forwarded to government officials, said her research found that the zones would help deflect criticism from all but the more extreme rights groups -- an argument she thought the government bought.
"It was about placating the West. They were really concerned about social order," Brownell said. "They must have come up with a plan to improve social order rather than make it worse."
Olympic terror fears as China bus bomb kills two
At least two people were killed by bombs placed on board buses in a southern Chinese city this morning, causing consternation three weeks before the Olympics open.REUTERSThe first explosion happened at 7.05am on board a bus at a stop on People's Road West, one of the main thoroughfares of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. Yunnan borders Vietnam, Burma and Tibet in China's far south.One person was killed and another ten injured, according to local media. Websites showed photographs of the bus with a gaping hole in its side and glass all over the road.The second explosion happened on another bus on the same road about an hour later. Another person was killed and a further four injured.According to some reports, there was a third explosion later in the morning, in which two people were killed and one injured, but this was discounted by some local officials.The motive for the attacks was unclear, but police said they were clearly acts of sabotage."According to preliminary investigations, the explosions were cases of man-made, deliberate sabotage," a spokesman said. Police were using roadblocks and checkpoints in a bid to catch those responsible, according to the state news agency.The authorities have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by terrorism to the Beijing Olympics, using it to justify intense security preparations in the capital.They say there is a particular threat from "Uighur and Tibetan separatism". Uighurs are Muslim, and the main ethnic group in Xinjiang province to the north-west, and police say a Uighur separatist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement is linked to al-Qaeda.Yunnan is an ethnically diverse province, home to large numbers of both Tibetans and Muslims. But Chinese cities are also occasionally hit by more mundane acts of terror, in which aggrieved citizens take revenge for lack of legal recourse by random acts of violence.At the weekend, there was a violent riot in a Yunnan town close to the Burmese border about the price a state rubber company was paying local farmers. Two people were shot dead by police as they tried to restore order.
China to hold medicine exhibition in Lhasa
China is to hold its first exhibition on traditional medicine of ethnic groups in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, in September.The exhibition is to display medical products made by minority pharmaceutical companies along with other Chinese pharmacies and Western medicine, according to Yu Deshui, executive deputy director and secretary general of the China National Health Association of Ethnic Nationality."The exhibition will boost the exchange of information among different ethnic groups, especially in the area of health care," said Yun Xiumei, deputy director of the association.China has abundant medical resources in minority-inhabited areas. These regions are home to more than 8,000 traditional medicines, accounting for nearly two thirds of the total traditional Chinese medicine resources.Traditional medicine of the ethnic groups have often come in handy for low-income families as some of the recipes have been tested by generations and ingredients can easily be found in the wild.
Nepal Police detain 100 Tibetan separatists in Kathmandu after anti-China rally
Kathmandu, July 19 (ANI): Nepali Police have detained about 100 Tibetan separatists who were involved in anti-China activities in Kathmandu. The separatists were apprehended after they tried to throng the Chinese Embassy’’s visa office. In the process of doing so, they blocked a street that was already choked with heavy traffic. According to China’’s official news agency Xinhua, Nepal Police had to step in and disperse the rally, when the demonstrators shouted anti-China slogans and reiterated demands for a free and independent Tibet. During the ensuing melee, some Tibetan leaders of the rally climbed the wall of a nearby cinema, and instigated others to ignore the police’’s attempts at dissuasion. Xinhua quoted the Kathmandu Police Control Center as saying that the detainees were supposed to be released after being questioned in various police stations. The Government of Nepal has repeatedly said that Tibet is an inalienable part of China, and that it will not allow any anti-China activities on its territory.Tibetan separatists have staged frequent anti-China protests in Kathmandu since mid-March. The activities often turned ugly, leading to disruptions of city traffic and clashes with police which injured Nepali policemen. Chinese Ambassador Zheng Xianglin said last month that there were criminal acts of beating and smashing by Tibetan separatists in Kathmandu against other Tibetans who either refused to take part in anti-China activities or held different positions from the separatists.
John Nichols: Obama, McCain & Tibet
The Capital Times[Monday, July 21, 2008 00:21]President Bush has announced that, despite China's violent crackdowns on dissent in Tibet and its support for the brutal dictatorships of Sudan and Burma, he will attend next month's opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.In response, Barack Obama distinguished himself from the man he seeks to replace.Asked whether he, as president, would convey legitimacy on the Chinese government's recent actions by attending the opening ceremonies, Obama said, "In the absence of some sense of progress, in the absence of some sense from the Dalai Lama that there was progress, I would not have gone."This was not Obama's first statement regarding Tibet or the Dalai Lama, who this week is in Wisconsin as part of a visit to the United States.In a foreign policy address delivered in March, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee member said that the advancement of human rights must be a central U.S. priority. And he pointedly declared, "We can start now by speaking out for the human rights and religious freedom of the people of Tibet."Around the same time, Obama announced, "If Tibetans are to live in harmony with the rest of China's people, their religion and culture must be respected and protected. Tibet should enjoy genuine and meaningful autonomy."While Obama's election would represent a clear break with the compromised commitments of the Bush administration -- and of the Clinton administration before it -- the jury is still out on Republican John McCain.Without a doubt, McCain is more sensitive to concerns regarding China's human rights abuses than Bush. This spring, when the Chinese crackdown in Tibet turned particularly violent, the senator from Arizona issued an excellent statement."I deplore the violent crackdown by Chinese authorities and the continuing oppression in Tibet of those merely wishing to practice their faith and preserve their culture and heritage. I have listened carefully to the Dalai Lama and am convinced he is a man of peace who reflects the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans. I urge the government of the People's Republic of China to address the root causes of unrest in Tibet by opening a genuine dialogue with his holiness, the Dalai Lama, aimed at granting greater autonomy."At the time, McCain suggested that he might also boycott the opening ceremonies as a protest against Beijing's policies.In recent months, however, McCain has been increasingly critical of Obama's emphasis on diplomacy and respecting human rights when it comes to international affairs. When Bush announced he would attend the opening ceremonies, McCain made no formal move to condemn the decision.While Obama has been firmer in his embrace of human rights, McCain's past statements suggest a consciousness of what is at stake in the dispute over China's treatment of Tibet that runs far broader than that evidenced by George Bush or Bill Clinton during their presidencies.As such, though Bush's decision to attend the opening ceremonies is both disappointing and embarrassing, 2008 might yet be the year when America moves from the shadow of complicity into the sunlight of a more genuine commitment to human rights.
China Seals Border, Gorkha Folks Hit
THT OnlineGorkha, July 22
The Chinese government's decision to seal its border with Nepal earlier this year has affected thousands of families in Chhekapar and Samagaun VDCs of Gorkha district who have been traditionally using the routes of Bhuila and Ghyala passes located on Nepal-China border to reach the markets of Jonga and Kongdang in District Kirong of the Tibet Autonomous region of China to carry out trans-border business and trade.These Nepalis have been fulfilling their daily needs such as clothes, foodgrains, oil and salt through this traditional trans border business and trade. However in February this year the Chinese government sealed its border by deploying army and police personnel in that area and restricted the entry of Nepalese nationals.According to the locals owing to decision they have been facing severe shortage of various goods thereby affecting their normal life. Though Nepal's government has taken up the issue with Beijing for allowing the Nepalese nationals residing along the Nepal-China border to move freely, nothing has been done fo far, the locals claimed.At the same time the Chinese government has been unusually harsh in pressurising the Nepalese to crush any perceived signs of Tibetan resistance in Nepal. This is despite the fact that the Nepal Baudha Mahasangha has appealed to the government of Nepal to allow the Buddhists in Nepal to freely practice their religion and not link them unnecessarily with the ongoing protests by the Tibetan community.Meanwhile, the Nepalese Supreme Court directed (July 7) the government to free three detained Tibetan protesters, viz Tashi Dolma, Nawang Sangmo and Kalsan Chung who had been arrested earlier on charges of indulging in anti-China activities. Reacting to the development, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal has lodged a strongly-worded protest with the Nepalese Foreign Secretary.
The Chinese government's decision to seal its border with Nepal earlier this year has affected thousands of families in Chhekapar and Samagaun VDCs of Gorkha district who have been traditionally using the routes of Bhuila and Ghyala passes located on Nepal-China border to reach the markets of Jonga and Kongdang in District Kirong of the Tibet Autonomous region of China to carry out trans-border business and trade.These Nepalis have been fulfilling their daily needs such as clothes, foodgrains, oil and salt through this traditional trans border business and trade. However in February this year the Chinese government sealed its border by deploying army and police personnel in that area and restricted the entry of Nepalese nationals.According to the locals owing to decision they have been facing severe shortage of various goods thereby affecting their normal life. Though Nepal's government has taken up the issue with Beijing for allowing the Nepalese nationals residing along the Nepal-China border to move freely, nothing has been done fo far, the locals claimed.At the same time the Chinese government has been unusually harsh in pressurising the Nepalese to crush any perceived signs of Tibetan resistance in Nepal. This is despite the fact that the Nepal Baudha Mahasangha has appealed to the government of Nepal to allow the Buddhists in Nepal to freely practice their religion and not link them unnecessarily with the ongoing protests by the Tibetan community.Meanwhile, the Nepalese Supreme Court directed (July 7) the government to free three detained Tibetan protesters, viz Tashi Dolma, Nawang Sangmo and Kalsan Chung who had been arrested earlier on charges of indulging in anti-China activities. Reacting to the development, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal has lodged a strongly-worded protest with the Nepalese Foreign Secretary.
MICHAEL STIPE - STIPE JOINS FREE TIBET CAMPAIGN
R.E.M. rocker MICHAEL STIPE and British actor JEREMY IRONS have voiced their support for Tibetan independence by appearing in a poster campaign on behalf of the Free Tibet organisation.The stars are among a host of celebrities who have taken part in the T for Tibet initiative, which features them making a 'T' sign with their hands in the photographs.And Anne Holmes, the Acting Director of Free Tibet Campaign, hopes the hand gesture will catch on ahead of the summer (08) Olympics in Beijing, China.She says, "We are confident the campaign and the T hand signal will go global quickly. Now all we need are some brave athletes who are willing to show they care about human rights by making the T sign in Beijing."Tibet lost independence to China in 1951, and Chinese authorities have come under fire in recent months over their human rights record in the region.
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/stipe%20joins%20free%20tibet%20campaign_1074916
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/stipe%20joins%20free%20tibet%20campaign_1074916
Exiled Tibetans to go on hunger strike from July 28
July 21st, 2008 - 8:11 pm ICT by ANI - Email This PostDharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), July 21 (ANI): The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) will go on a hunger strike from July 28 in New Delhi against the 2008 Beijing Olympics.The protest would be a part of the ”Tibetan People’’s Mass Movement” programme.Tsewang Rigzin, the president of TYC, told reporters in Dharamshala on Monday that they were demanding the “immediate end to the gruesome suppression of Tibetans inside Tibet and the unconditional release of all Tibetan political prisoners.”“We are also demanding convincing evidence to prove the well-being and the whereabouts of his holiness Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, and to allow independent and neutral international fact finding delegation media and humanitarian organisations to assess the current situation in Tibet,” added Rigzin.China resumed fence-mending talks with envoys of Tibet’’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on July 1st in a move that could burnish its international image weeks before the Chinese capital hosts the Olympics.It is the second closed-door meeting between the representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government since rioting erupted in Tibet in March and heaped international pressure on China to deal with the Nobel laureate, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against the Chinese rule.About 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a vast majority of them in India or Nepal. Of them less than half were born in their homeland.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/exiled-tibetans-to-go-on-hunger-strike-from-july-28_10074257.html
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/exiled-tibetans-to-go-on-hunger-strike-from-july-28_10074257.html
TYC to launch second “Tibetan People’s Mass Movement”, vows protests during Beijing Olympics
Tibetan Youth Congress readies to launch its second phase of the Tibetan People’s Mass Movement ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and vows series of protests before and during the Games and reiterated its call on International community to “Boycott Beijing 2008 Olympics”, saying “No Olympics in China until Tibet is Independent”Dharamsala, July 21: With 2008 Summer Olympics due to begin in Beijing in less than three weeks, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) today announced it would launch the second phase of its “Tibetan People’s Mass Movement” ahead of the Games to highlight the issue of Tibet and its people’s plight.The Tibetan youth body, which struggles for the restoration of Tibet’s independence and decisively opposes Beijing’s right to host the prestigious international sporting event because of its “appalling Human rights record” and its ongoing oppression on Tibetan people in their homeland, also vowed to stage series of protests worldwide before and during the Beijing Games.“We have consistently stood by ‘No Olympics in China until Tibet is Free’ right from the start when China was given the right to host the Games in 2001,” TYC president Mr Tsewang Rigzin said during a press conference at the organisation’s head office here.The organisation, which claims over 30,000 members worldwide, plans to first launch an “Indefinite Fast for Tibet – without Food and Water” on July 28 in New Delhi before formally launching the second phase of the “Tibetan People’s Mass Movement” on August 7, on the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.“To protest against the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the continuing colonial occupation of Tibet by China, Tibetan Youth Congress will launch and “Indefinite Fast for Tibet – without Food and Water” on 28th July, 2008 at New Delhi as part of the Tibetan People’s Mass Movement”, Mr Rigzin said.The youth congress leader, however, insisted that his organisation’s activities would be based on the “principles of nonviolence and Gandhi’s tradition of ‘satyagraha’ (Insistence on Truth)”.“TYC will begin Tibetan People’s Mass Demonstration on 7 August, 2008 based on the principles of nonviolence and Gandhi’s tradition of ‘satyagraha’ (Insistence on Truth)” Mr Tsewang said, however, declining to give specific details of the number of participants and the exact venue for the entire protests. He said the details would be revealed later at an “appropriate time” for specific campaigns..“TYC will also organise many other campaigns throughout the Olympics”, Rigzin said, adding “With the start of ‘Indefinite Fast for Tibet – without Food and Water’ in New Delhi, all regional chapters of TYC will organize campaign against Beijing Olympics in their respective regions throughout the world”.According to Rigzin, TYC’s decision to carry out the second Phase of the movement before the Beijing Olympic Games was made according to the resolutions passed during the organisation’s General Body Meeting held in September 2007 at Dharamsala and the Annual Working Committee Meeting in July 2008 at Manali.TYC’s first Tibetan People’s Mass Movement against China was launched in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on August 8 last year to mark a one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics. Over 25,000 Tibetans from India, Nepal and other countries are said to have taken part in it. The movement somehow turned out to be the single biggest protest gathering of Tibetans in exile and largest since the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital city, in 1959.The first phase of the Movement, marked by a day-long peaceful demonstration, was disrupted, however, with the then TYC president calling on Tibetan demonstrators for its immediate end. With it an indefinite hunger strike by 14 Tibetans that began earlier on July 8 and continuing on its 33rd day was also ended.The then TYC leaders described the People's Mass Movement as an "effort to bring about a renewed vigour and vitality in the Tibetan movement” and called it a “departure from the traditional approach of appealing to the international community for support” by “putting direct pressure on the Government of People's Republic of China (PRC) by creating a situation where they have no choice but to respond” to their stated demands. The organisation’s executive members also vowed to resume the mass movement’s second phase at a later appropriate time.Reacting to China’s allegations calling TYC a Terrorist organisation engaged in violent activities, Mr Rigizn said the accusations are baseless devoid of any evidence. “In our almost 40 years of struggle for Tibet’s independence since TYC was formed in 1970, we have always adopted peaceful and non-violent strategic methods to achieve our goal,” he said.“The Chinese people deserve to host the Olympic Games but what the Tibetans and the Chinese people deserve more now is freedom; freedom of speech, of religion, of association, of equal opportunity, or electing their own government, of feeling safe in their own homes,” Mr Tsewang said of the Beijing’s right to host the games.“The day might not be far when Tibet will again be an independent nation and the Chinese people would be free from the inhuman communist regime, only then it will be the right time for Beijing to host the prestigious Olympic Games. But not now,” he said. “Not while the butchers of 1.2 million Tibetans remain in power. Not while the communist butchers of 70 million Chinese remain in power,” Tsewang added.For him Olympics are a “symbol of freedom and peace, an international event where friendship and brotherhood are celebrated” through sport. He accused the International Olympic Committee of breaching the ideals of the Olympics by honouring China with the right to host the games.Tibetan Youth Congress is the largest Tibetan non-governmental organisation outside Tibet and seeks to restore Tibet’s independence, a stand opposed to the “middle-way approach” seeking “real and meaningful autonomy” for Tibet as advocated by the exiled Tibetan Leader the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile.
Update on Tibet Demonstrations, 21 July 2008
Monday, July 21 2008 @ 11:55 pm BST10 July 2008
Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County, Ngaba "TAP", Amdo (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) - Three given arbitrary sentencesOn around 10 July, three people, who allegedly participated in a protest held in Ngaba county on 16 March, were given arbitrary sentences by the People's Intermediate Court of Ngaba "Tibetan Autonomous Region".Kelbar (23) from Lota township in the lower division of Ngaba county was sentenced to life prison. Terzoe (25) from Drongtoe Tsang family in Ngaba county was sentenced to 15 years and Tsegor (27) from Gongma Tsang family to 13 years of imprisonment.
18 June 2008
Nyagchu (Ch: Yajiang) County, Karze "TAP", Kham (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) - A monk commits suicide due to "patriotic re-education"Trangma, a monk from Minyak Drapa Yangdhen monastery in Nyagchu county, committed suicide on 18 June for not being able to undergo the "patriotic re-education" which mainly includes denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama.His aged mother Ache and other monks were warned and intimidated against disclosing information about this incident to the outside world. The work-teams have temporarily withdrawn from the monastery following his suicide.A school within the above-mentioned monastery with around 30 monk-students were closed down by the Chinese authorities as a part of their "patriotic re-education".
No Specific Date
Bathang (Ch: Batang) County, Karze "TAP", Kham (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) -Numerous men from Lingkha-Sho and Gangri villages flee to mountainsA few days back in July, Jampa Gyaltsen, a leader of Gheymo village with an influential personality, successfully mediated to resolve the long-standing land dispute between the Lingkha-Sho and Gangri areas.However, the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and officials from Bathang county arrived at the village, and decided to give the disputed land to Lingkha-Sho village saying that none other than the Chinese government has the authority to resolve the land disputes.The people of Gangri village were outraged by their decision. They opposed the authorities saying that their decision was an unfair and they were intentionally creating rift among the Tibetans. Therefore, the people can't listen to the Chinese authorities, and they should leave the village.However, the people were instead intimidated at a gun point by the PSB which has further infuriated them. As a result, the people started shouting slogans such as "Tibet belongs to Tibetans. Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibet is an independent county." This has led the PSB and the officials to run away from the scene.Later, two truck full of Chinese forces and work-teams led by the county head arrived at the Gangri village to suppress its people. However, all the men from the village have already fled to the mountains. The Chinese forces continue to guard the village and have already ordered those to surrender. Till now, no one has surrendered. There are over 100 families in Gangri village.
Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County, Ngaba "TAP", Amdo (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) - Three given arbitrary sentencesOn around 10 July, three people, who allegedly participated in a protest held in Ngaba county on 16 March, were given arbitrary sentences by the People's Intermediate Court of Ngaba "Tibetan Autonomous Region".Kelbar (23) from Lota township in the lower division of Ngaba county was sentenced to life prison. Terzoe (25) from Drongtoe Tsang family in Ngaba county was sentenced to 15 years and Tsegor (27) from Gongma Tsang family to 13 years of imprisonment.
18 June 2008
Nyagchu (Ch: Yajiang) County, Karze "TAP", Kham (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) - A monk commits suicide due to "patriotic re-education"Trangma, a monk from Minyak Drapa Yangdhen monastery in Nyagchu county, committed suicide on 18 June for not being able to undergo the "patriotic re-education" which mainly includes denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama.His aged mother Ache and other monks were warned and intimidated against disclosing information about this incident to the outside world. The work-teams have temporarily withdrawn from the monastery following his suicide.A school within the above-mentioned monastery with around 30 monk-students were closed down by the Chinese authorities as a part of their "patriotic re-education".
No Specific Date
Bathang (Ch: Batang) County, Karze "TAP", Kham (incorporated into the Chinese province of Sichuan) -Numerous men from Lingkha-Sho and Gangri villages flee to mountainsA few days back in July, Jampa Gyaltsen, a leader of Gheymo village with an influential personality, successfully mediated to resolve the long-standing land dispute between the Lingkha-Sho and Gangri areas.However, the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and officials from Bathang county arrived at the village, and decided to give the disputed land to Lingkha-Sho village saying that none other than the Chinese government has the authority to resolve the land disputes.The people of Gangri village were outraged by their decision. They opposed the authorities saying that their decision was an unfair and they were intentionally creating rift among the Tibetans. Therefore, the people can't listen to the Chinese authorities, and they should leave the village.However, the people were instead intimidated at a gun point by the PSB which has further infuriated them. As a result, the people started shouting slogans such as "Tibet belongs to Tibetans. Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibet is an independent county." This has led the PSB and the officials to run away from the scene.Later, two truck full of Chinese forces and work-teams led by the county head arrived at the Gangri village to suppress its people. However, all the men from the village have already fled to the mountains. The Chinese forces continue to guard the village and have already ordered those to surrender. Till now, no one has surrendered. There are over 100 families in Gangri village.
Migrant Workers Riot in China
SHANGHAI, China) — Hundreds of migrant workers angry over mistreatment of a fellow worker rioted for three days in eastern China, surrounding a police station and smashing cars and motorbikes, a Hong Kong-based human rights organization said Monday.
The riot began Thursday in Kanmen town in coastal Zhejiang province, said the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Three hundred military police arrived Sunday and 30 migrant workers have been detained, the group said. No injuries were reported.
A woman who answered the telephone at Kanmen's public security bureau denied that workers broke into the police station or burned vehicles, saying they only gathered in the streets and shouted in protest. The woman did not give her name as is common with officials in China.
The Hong Kong-based rights group said the unrest in Kanmen was centered around a migrant worker who was beaten by a security guard while trying to get a temporary residence permit.
The violence comes just weeks after a crowd of 30,000 people in southwest China set fire to a police station, angry over what many believed was a cover-up of the death of a teenage girl by local authorities.
Such incidents are an embarrassment to officials, especially in the run-up to the Aug. 8 Beijing Olympics.
According to the rights group, when the worker went to police with a group of other workers to complain about the man who beat him, he was detained, triggering the protest in which hundreds of workers converged outside the police station, burning police cars and motorcycles and later throwing stones.
The report did not give any other details about the incident, including why the worker was beaten.
A notice posted on the Web site of Yuhuan County, which oversees Kanmen, said the July 10 "incident" was being investigated but did not describe what the incident was.
It "has caused a strong backlash by society, and the public is very concerned about the truth, and about how it was dealt with, and how the local offices have recovered," the notice said.
Thousands of migrant workers have flocked to the area and the situation has put pressure on the government, it said.
Also Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said police in Guizhou province detained 100 people, including 39 members of local gangs, for involvement in last month's protest over the death of the student.
It quoted Peng Dequan, vice director of provincial public security, as saying they were still looking for other "gangsters" who were in hiding.
Authorities accused local gangs of fomenting the unrest and have urged offenders to surrender, Xinhua said.
The riot began Thursday in Kanmen town in coastal Zhejiang province, said the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Three hundred military police arrived Sunday and 30 migrant workers have been detained, the group said. No injuries were reported.
A woman who answered the telephone at Kanmen's public security bureau denied that workers broke into the police station or burned vehicles, saying they only gathered in the streets and shouted in protest. The woman did not give her name as is common with officials in China.
The Hong Kong-based rights group said the unrest in Kanmen was centered around a migrant worker who was beaten by a security guard while trying to get a temporary residence permit.
The violence comes just weeks after a crowd of 30,000 people in southwest China set fire to a police station, angry over what many believed was a cover-up of the death of a teenage girl by local authorities.
Such incidents are an embarrassment to officials, especially in the run-up to the Aug. 8 Beijing Olympics.
According to the rights group, when the worker went to police with a group of other workers to complain about the man who beat him, he was detained, triggering the protest in which hundreds of workers converged outside the police station, burning police cars and motorcycles and later throwing stones.
The report did not give any other details about the incident, including why the worker was beaten.
A notice posted on the Web site of Yuhuan County, which oversees Kanmen, said the July 10 "incident" was being investigated but did not describe what the incident was.
It "has caused a strong backlash by society, and the public is very concerned about the truth, and about how it was dealt with, and how the local offices have recovered," the notice said.
Thousands of migrant workers have flocked to the area and the situation has put pressure on the government, it said.
Also Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said police in Guizhou province detained 100 people, including 39 members of local gangs, for involvement in last month's protest over the death of the student.
It quoted Peng Dequan, vice director of provincial public security, as saying they were still looking for other "gangsters" who were in hiding.
Authorities accused local gangs of fomenting the unrest and have urged offenders to surrender, Xinhua said.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
The A-Z of Global Warming- Fossil Fuels: by Simon Rosser
Copyright (c) 2008 Simon Rosser
This article is taken from The A-Z of Global Warming and discusses fossil fuels. The generation of electricity from burning carbon rich coal has a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity. In 2003 the power industry created 44.5% of all manmade carbon dioxide (CO2) according to the World Resources Institute, Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT). If one looks at emissions of carbon dioxide alone (ignoring all other greenhouse gases), then for the year 2000, the figure is just under 33%, and the latest figure available from 2003, as mentioned above shows an increase for this sector to 44.5%. The latest figure however excludes CO2 from land use change.
So what are fossil fuels, and how are they formed? Well fossil fuels form deep in the earth's crust over millions of years from enormous pressure and heat which converts dead plant and animal matter into hydrocarbons in the form of coal, oil or natural gas, which can then be dug up and burnt as fuel.
As these fossil fuels have formed over millions of years they are no longer considered to be part of the natural carbon cycle as they have effectively been "locked up" within the earth's crust and rocks etc.
In 2005 alone some 28 billion tonnes of CO2 was released into the atmosphere, from burning fossil fuels, which is equivalent to about 800 tonnes a second!
Out of all the fossil fuels the worst culprit is coal, which is used as the fuel in coal fired electricity power stations for the production of electricity. Generating electricity through carbon rich coal however has a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity.
The power industry creates over twice the amount of CO2 as is produced by the transport sector.
Basically electricity generation hasn't changed much from the 19th century with large power plants burning fossil fuels for the creation of electricity, and this model looks set to continue for some time to come.
Within the rapidly expanding economies of India and China, coal fired electricity plants will dramatically increase. In fact China, the USA and India are the top three producers in the world.
Apart from carbon dioxide, burning coal produces a host of other chemicals, such as sulphur dioxide, which causes acid rain, Nitrous oxide and other heavy metals.
What makes matters worse is that coal is the world's most widely available fossil fuel and there is around 200 years of coal left, if it is used at its current rate. This will be pretty academic however as according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change, if the burning of fossil fuels continue unchanged, the Earth could warm by as much as 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 F) by 2100. This would mean almost certain extinction of most of life on the earth.
One only has to look at pictures from recent news stories showing industrial cities in these developing countries to see the pollution and clouds of smog hanging over the cities and blocking out the sunlight.
It is estimated that by the year 2030, 55% of all power stations built in the Asia pacific region will be coal fired.
The transport sector in 2000 accounted for around 14% of greenhouse gas emissions, or 20% of CO2 alone (ignoring other greenhouse gases), in 2003. The majority of these emissions are from road transport, with aviation second, followed by shipping and rail last. Emissions from the aviation sector are expected to grow the quickest however.
So whilst developed and especially developing nations continue to build power stations to gobble up the Earth's supply of fossil fuels, serious harm is being done to the atmosphere which will continue to elevate global temperatures as higher CO2 levels add to the greenhouse effect.
There are in fact enough fossil fuels left to take the world to levels of CO2 concentrations of around 750ppm and above, (around 330 ppm more than present) which would elevate temperatures to such an extent that it would be catastrophic for all of Earth's inhabitants. CO2 as a result of burning fossil fuels is only one of the many greenhouse gases, which is contributing to the warming of the atmosphere. In the next article we will look at Earth's greenhouse gases, which are essential to life on Earth, but which are now warming the planet as their levels steadily increase.
This article is taken from The A-Z of Global Warming and discusses fossil fuels. The generation of electricity from burning carbon rich coal has a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity. In 2003 the power industry created 44.5% of all manmade carbon dioxide (CO2) according to the World Resources Institute, Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT). If one looks at emissions of carbon dioxide alone (ignoring all other greenhouse gases), then for the year 2000, the figure is just under 33%, and the latest figure available from 2003, as mentioned above shows an increase for this sector to 44.5%. The latest figure however excludes CO2 from land use change.
So what are fossil fuels, and how are they formed? Well fossil fuels form deep in the earth's crust over millions of years from enormous pressure and heat which converts dead plant and animal matter into hydrocarbons in the form of coal, oil or natural gas, which can then be dug up and burnt as fuel.
As these fossil fuels have formed over millions of years they are no longer considered to be part of the natural carbon cycle as they have effectively been "locked up" within the earth's crust and rocks etc.
In 2005 alone some 28 billion tonnes of CO2 was released into the atmosphere, from burning fossil fuels, which is equivalent to about 800 tonnes a second!
Out of all the fossil fuels the worst culprit is coal, which is used as the fuel in coal fired electricity power stations for the production of electricity. Generating electricity through carbon rich coal however has a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity.
The power industry creates over twice the amount of CO2 as is produced by the transport sector.
Basically electricity generation hasn't changed much from the 19th century with large power plants burning fossil fuels for the creation of electricity, and this model looks set to continue for some time to come.
Within the rapidly expanding economies of India and China, coal fired electricity plants will dramatically increase. In fact China, the USA and India are the top three producers in the world.
Apart from carbon dioxide, burning coal produces a host of other chemicals, such as sulphur dioxide, which causes acid rain, Nitrous oxide and other heavy metals.
What makes matters worse is that coal is the world's most widely available fossil fuel and there is around 200 years of coal left, if it is used at its current rate. This will be pretty academic however as according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change, if the burning of fossil fuels continue unchanged, the Earth could warm by as much as 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 F) by 2100. This would mean almost certain extinction of most of life on the earth.
One only has to look at pictures from recent news stories showing industrial cities in these developing countries to see the pollution and clouds of smog hanging over the cities and blocking out the sunlight.
It is estimated that by the year 2030, 55% of all power stations built in the Asia pacific region will be coal fired.
The transport sector in 2000 accounted for around 14% of greenhouse gas emissions, or 20% of CO2 alone (ignoring other greenhouse gases), in 2003. The majority of these emissions are from road transport, with aviation second, followed by shipping and rail last. Emissions from the aviation sector are expected to grow the quickest however.
So whilst developed and especially developing nations continue to build power stations to gobble up the Earth's supply of fossil fuels, serious harm is being done to the atmosphere which will continue to elevate global temperatures as higher CO2 levels add to the greenhouse effect.
There are in fact enough fossil fuels left to take the world to levels of CO2 concentrations of around 750ppm and above, (around 330 ppm more than present) which would elevate temperatures to such an extent that it would be catastrophic for all of Earth's inhabitants. CO2 as a result of burning fossil fuels is only one of the many greenhouse gases, which is contributing to the warming of the atmosphere. In the next article we will look at Earth's greenhouse gases, which are essential to life on Earth, but which are now warming the planet as their levels steadily increase.
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