Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Posted on 06/01/2007 8:54:10 AM PDT by NYer
China's Ministry of Public Security has issued a directive listing 43 categories of 'unwanteds' who are to be investigated and may be barred from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Falun Dafa Information Centre reports.
The banned groups will include members of religious groups not sanctioned by the state, including the underground Catholic and other Christian churches; "key individuals in ideological fields," "counter-revolutionary" figures, the Dalai Lama and all affiliates, "individuals who instigate discontentment toward the Chinese Communist Party through the Internet," and certain types of "handicapped" persons.
Members of the indigenous religious group Falun Gong would be barred, as would "family members of deceased persons" killed in "riots" -- a euphemism for events such as the Tiananmen Massacre -- and Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province, which the regime brands "national separatists."
Foreign athletes, members of the media, Olympic staff members, referees, sponsors, dignitaries, and the International Olympic Committee itself, will all be investigated, to determine whether they fall into any of the 43 categories.
According to AsiaNews, up to 50 Roman Catholic bishops and priests are in prison or otherwise prevented from carrying out their ministry in China.
In theory Chinese law guarantees a degree of religious freedom, but the Communist government forbids all worship outside state-backed "patriotic" religious groups which it effectively controls.
China broke links with the Vatican soon after the Communists took sole control of the country. During the 1950's the government expelled foreign clergy and established its own state approved "Catholic church", the China Patriotic Catholic Association, which pledges loyalty to Beijing rather than the Pope.
Despite continual harassment and arrest of its priests and members, the Roman Catholic Church in China claims an estimated eight million worshippers, double the total for the government approved body.
Wasn’t it this year the Chinese where making Catholic bishops, cardinals, etc of their own in a rift between them and Rome?
This can’t end well for China.
WHY are the Olympics held in China? Certain ‘unwanteds’, hmmm, I have a few of those these days, too.
In which case decent nations should boycott the Olympics.
I hate to disagree with a fellow FREEPER- but this could only be bad for China if they ban Muslims. Christians are fair game!
This can’t end well for the idiot network which proposes to televise these Olympics.
I have just decided not to watch one millisecond so there goes a tiny portion of their wasted advertising bucks.
F
Very misleading title.
I already ban them from my house.
The 1936 Olympics redux.
I have no idea why we have anything to do with this disgusting, brutal, organ harvesting nation. They are savages and should never have been allowed to host the Olympics.
Nothing ever ends poorly with China. If you make the world’s very cheap goods, apparently you cannot be touched.
I remember watching the Olympics in the 70's where they would show most, if not all, of a given event and the medal ceremony no matter who won the gold medal.
I try not to buy Chinese, Olympics included.
Actually, it began last year and continued this year. None of their appointees has been recognized by the Vatican.
No FReepers allowed?
Boycott.
Boycott.
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