Hurrah for Canada
Or rather two suicidally reckless extraordinarily brave Canadians, who unveiled a pro Tibetan independence banner on the Great Wall, and kept it there for 90 minutes. More here.
The two bold Canadians, Melanie Raoul and Sam Price, members of Students for a Free Tibet have been hauled off in the Chinese equivalent of the black maria, and are yet to be heard from.
The action, naturally, is on youtube:
The comments on the video are extraordinarily telling.... Still, I'm locked out from the 'People's Republic' of China by the Great Firewall of China, so I'm not anticipating a blizzard of Pekiing's straw men and women telling me what a dirty gwailo I am.
The story is all over the North American media, but would seem to be insufficiently newsworthy for a certain broadcaster that does, however, sees fit to drivel on at length about the forthcoming Olympics in Peking.
The two bold Canadians, Melanie Raoul and Sam Price, members of Students for a Free Tibet have been hauled off in the Chinese equivalent of the black maria, and are yet to be heard from.
The action, naturally, is on youtube:
The comments on the video are extraordinarily telling.... Still, I'm locked out from the 'People's Republic' of China by the Great Firewall of China, so I'm not anticipating a blizzard of Pekiing's straw men and women telling me what a dirty gwailo I am.
The story is all over the North American media, but would seem to be insufficiently newsworthy for a certain broadcaster that does, however, sees fit to drivel on at length about the forthcoming Olympics in Peking.
Labels: 'People's Republic' of China, Canada, Tibet
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on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 at 8:48 am.
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There is an interesting take on the unintentional damage these protests can do here - http://www.tuxedotravels.com/blog/?p=88#more-88
Rather than furthering the cause, it can often make the problem worse.
I don't want to come down on either side of the argument, but protesting on behalf on someone is shaky territory - you have to get it right and understand the impacts fully.
Garbo, Amen! Just like all those greenies speaking out on so-called greenhouse gases!
The BBC has it tucked away:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6934295.stm
It also says 6 were detained including at least on Briton.
I can't help feeling that if the games of 1936 (or even 1980) were to occur now the BBC would be counting down and tucking away much of the criticism...
Sochi 2014 in Russia does also feel a bit controversial these days...
Cool clip, thanks!
I'm with Garbo on this. I'm sure these people are well-meant, although where their well-meaning is directed isn't clear. I don't know that you can just barge into another country and start protesting about their government. The Chinese, especially, are touchy about this.
In fact, come to think of it, what was the point? They're not "drawing attention" to the fact that China invaded Tibet 57 years ago. Even the Dalai Lama appears to accept that China is the de facto ruler of the country.
Could Tibet go back to what it was 57 years ago? No.
I think this protest was self-regarding. No one asked them to save Tibet. There are plenty of Tibetans outside Tibet who are either working for Tibetan independence or not, without the involvement of keen Canadian attention-seekers.
Thumbs down.
Whether an antebellum Tibet could ever be resurrected is not really my point, rather that the PRC is the world's number one tyranny, and the long suffering people of Tibet have been given no choice over their incorporation into the PRC. Being an optimist, I am sure that this particular Babylon will fall, just like all the others. I do not doubt that the cause of, say, Estonian independence looked pretty hopeless in the the 1980s.
True, Croydonian. And there are people working quietly, over the long haul, for a change in Tibet's circumstances. Knowledgeable people who speak Tibetan and Chinese.
I really don't think interfering, grandstanding busybodies have any place in this and indeed, they can set negotiations, of which they know nothing, back. If something is to be done, it will be being done without the help of self-dramatising,intense Canadians.
If nothing is to be done, the Canadians will make no difference.
Could be more nefarious.
Not sure if you are aware of the fact Students for a free Tibet is connected with the Canadian government thru PM Harper’s advisor Tenzin Khangsar:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Tenzin+Khangsar+Students+For+Free+Tibet
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