links for 2008-04-12

• Interview with Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo: 'If the Games Fail, Human Rights Will Suffer' - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
  Liu says a boycott won't work: "The government would stop paying any attention to the rest of the world. I personally think: We want the Games and we want human rights to be respected."
  (tags: china humanrights olympics tibet)
• OPEN FORUM / Why I will carry the Olympic torch
  "Unfortunately, the calls to boycott the Olympics and to label everything about China as evil can only serve to isolate China and the United States from each other. "
  (tags: china olympics tibet humanrights)

Comments

[mahatir_fan]

While it is true that a boycott will continue to isolate China from the West (not the world but the West), it should be emphasize that respect for human rights is NOT a Western "trait".

Western nations have already shown that they disrespect human rights. If we look that their treatment of their colonial subjects between 1900-1950, we can see that they have no human rights at all. In fact, many of our most draconian laws were inherited from colonial days. The practice of press censorship, imprisonment without trials can be traced to colonial days when we were colonized by the Europeans.

It is we, Asians, Africans who love freedom. We struggle to break free from the Western made chains that binded us to slavery.

It is easy to figure out why "suddenly" the Europeans show their interest in protecting human rights across the world. This false struggle on behalf of the rest of the world coincides at a time period when they have practically lost all their colonies. While on the surface and without much pondering, one would naturally support their causes, one become a skeptic when looking at the broader view of history why did they not champion for human rights and freedom at a time period when it was needed most say during the early part of the 20th century.

The Hong Kong experience models the mentality beautifully. 10 years or so before the Hong Kong handover to PRC, suddenly the people of HK are jolted to embrace democracy and self determination. 10 years before the handover. Why didn't this happen 40 years earlier? Why weren't there elections in Hong Kong say in 1960? Why wait until almost 1990 - 10 years before the handover for there to be elections?

The answer is obvious. When I control you, I don't care about your human rights. But when I no longer control you and I am enemies with your government, I want to create social instablility and this false struggle for human rights is my way to divide the people from their government. This makes your government weak and therefore make me stronger relative to your country.

The peaceful torch progress through Argentina where people from all walks of life came out and threw confettis to welcome the torch vs the civil disobedience shown by the French politicians and people serves to show who are China's real friends. China should use the torch relay to review its friendship to realize who are really wolves in sheep skin and who are the better friends.

Finally, I welcome all wolves in sheep clothing to boycott the Olympic games.

p/s I have many opportunities to visit Europe but I never want to go there. I know they don't welcome me even if on the surface it may look so and I hope the rest of the world can see it too now. The Olympic torch symbolizes this.

[Clarke]

"I personally think: We want the Games and we want human rights to be respected."

Exactly what the Dalia Lama has been saying.

[xiaoxi liu]

MF, well said!
It is all because they came to the game and grasp first, got a solid foundation built and set up rules so that they could afford enjoying all these precious values, and now they demand that all the late comers whom they robbed centuries ago must now implement those values following the timetable they provide or you are pathetic subjects of brutal, unfeeling evil empires.

[barnychan]

"The Hong Kong experience models the mentality beautifully"

The Hong Kong experience also serves to highlight the curious, unpleasant, and, sadly, all too common phenomenon of Chinese racism. You'd imagine, given the Brit colonial past of the place, that any lingering racial resentment would be directed at white westerners. However, while there's clearly no affection for westerners in HK it's impossible to ignore the visceral animosity towards South Asians and Filipinos, and the greater still sense of revulsion at HK's small African community.