Olympic Official Calls Protests a ‘Crisis’

The International Olympic Committee is paying the price for having foolishly granted the 2008 Summer Games to China. Anyone with common sense should have been able to see that there would be conflicts conerning China's repressive government and thug-like tactics for dealing with dissent. In my view, someone needs to say in very blunt and unequivocal language that the Chinese leadership will understand that unless the human rights abuses cease, the Games in total will be scaled back or moved to a different location. It is unacceptable that athletes who voice support for Tibet may be kept out of the Olympic Games. If China wants to be included in civilized events, it needs to act in civilized manners and stop the human rights violations. The excuses of the Chinese government and its lame attempts to blame the Tibetians and others for plots is a smoke screen that anyone other than a blithering idiot can see through. Here are some highlights from the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/world/asia/11china.html?_r=1&oref=slogin):

BEIJING — China faced rare criticism of its human rights record from the head of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, even as calls for a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Games grew louder in Europe and the United States.

The president of the Olympic committee, Jacques Rogge, called on the authorities in Beijing to respect their “moral engagement” to improve human rights in the months leading up to the Games and to provide the news media with greater access to the country. He also described the protests that have dogged the international Olympics torch relay as a “crisis” for the organization.

Meanwhile, pressure increased on world leaders to signal their opposition to China’s policies in Tibet and its close relations with the government of Sudan by skipping the opening ceremony of the Games. The European Parliament urged leaders of its 27 member nations to consider a boycott of the ceremony unless China opens a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. In New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations informed China that he would not attend the ceremony, a spokeswoman said.

Preparations for the Games were rocked last month when Tibetans staged violent protests against Chinese rule and security forces cracked down on monks and other supporters of the exiled Dalai Lama in parts of Western China. The clashes set off sympathy protests and calls around the world for the boycott. Demonstrators turned the 21-city torch relay into a public relations fiasco for Beijing and the Olympic committee.

Top officials in China have claimed that the Tibetan protests and the international protests are part of a plot to disrupt the Olympics orchestrated by the Dalai Lama, who lives in India. They have called him a splittist and a terrorist whose goal is to separate Tibet from China.