http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/boycottchina/ en-us Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:01:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068057/posts Athletes sacrificed dearly -- one was separated from her toddler, one was banned from eating dinner, one missed a parent's funeral. While Americans spoke of fun, the Chinese were on a 'sacred mission.' If anybody feels a pang of jealousy over China's haul of Olympic gold medals, they need only pause to consider what the athletes went through to get them. The only mother on China's team, Xian Dongmei, told reporters after she won her gold medal in judo that she had not seen her 18-month-old daughter in one year, monitoring the girl's growth only by webcam. Another gold medalist,... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068057/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:01:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067072/posts US disrupts Olympic party with human rights attack on China America has openly attacked China for failing to live up to its Olympic promise to improve human rights after eight US citizens were arrested and imprisoned without trial for their part in a pro-Tibet demonstration. By Peter Foster in Beijing Last Updated: 12:20PM BST 24 Aug 2008 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office called on China to 'respect its commitment to freedom of expression' Photo: AFP In an unusually candid statement issued on the eve of the Olympic closing ceremony the US Embassy in Beijing expressed mounting frustration with China's refusal... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067072/posts#comment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:05:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066553/posts Grannies vow to fight on after punishment for Olympic protests Fri Aug 22, 11:14 AM BEIJING (AFP) - Two Beijing grandmothers remained defiant and in good spirits Friday despite being sentenced to one year of reeducation through labour for applying to protest during the Olympics. In an interview with AFP, neighbours Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, said they had not received compensation after their homes were demolished by the city government seven years ago and were simply fighting for their rights. "We have done nothing wrong," said Wang. "They won't let me protest, then they sentence me to... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066553/posts#comment Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:55:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066523/posts "The professional Cubanologist pundits have been advocating for Cuba to adopt the "Chinese" model economy for some time. Now Barack Obama wants the U.S. to follow China's lead on building infrastructure. Sounds good. All we need is an omnipotent centralized power structure and a population of about 1 billion more slave laborers. " - Henry Louis Gomez / Babalublog.com You Tube / pccndfht66777 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066523/posts#comment Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:26:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066203/posts Well, as long as you forget about the oppressive Communist government and the lack of freedom and the Internet filtering and the re-education camps … China sounds really groovy: Everybody’s watching what’s going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics. Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you’re starting to think, “Beijing looks like a pretty good option.”Does Barack Obama understand the nature of the Beijing regime? The... hotair.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066203/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:41:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065451/posts Chinese may have killed 140 Tibetans this week: Dalai Lama 2 hours, 14 minutes ago Chinese security forces opened fire on a crowd this week in eastern Tibet and may have killed 140 people, the Dalai Lama told a French daily on Thursday. "The Chinese army again fired on a crowd on Monday August 18, in the Kham region in eastern Tibet," he told Le Monde. "One hundred and forty Tibetans are reported to have been killed, but the figure needs to be confirmed." AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065451/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:21:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065277/posts China to show propaganda opera at Olympics Bandian Rijiu, who plays the Tibetan king, and his bride Deng Mian, the Chinese princess, rehearse in Beijing Jane Macartney in Beijing “This is a wedding. It's a festive occasion. Look happy, much happier. Do that scene again and this time let's really feel your joy. Move the audience ...” The famed Peking Opera director Gao Mukun barked out his orders to the chastened cast of a show timed as a finale for the Beijing Olympics. The Tibetan performers hooted with delight and kept their smiles in place for the last scene of... Times of London http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065277/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:02:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065320/posts Liu Xiang sent to Olympic death by China's £1 billion image-building exercise On the back of yesterday's China Daily, the English language newspaper in Beijing, the face of Liu Xiang filled a broadsheet page. But the tears had been airbrushed out, so to speak. By Kevin Garside Last Updated: 2:54PM BST 20 Aug 2008 Comments 29 | Comment on this article China's Olympic pin-up was selling the Nike brand and his country. He is the face of Nike in China, and of China across the globe. He didn't develop an ankle spur, injure his Achilles or damage his hamstring on... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065320/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:58:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064938/posts BEIJING — Two elderly Chinese women have been sentenced to a year of “re-education through labor” after they repeatedly sought a permit to demonstrate in one of the official Olympic protest areas, according to family members and human rights advocates. The women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, had made five visits to the police this month in an effort to obtain permission to protest what they contended was inadequate compensation for the demolition of their homes in Beijing. During their final visit on Monday, Public Security officials informed them that they had been given administrative sentences for “disturbing... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064938/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:30:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063105/posts Pity poor Tan Zongliang, the latest victim of China Central Television’s relentless demand for perfection. Before its interrogators got to him, Tan was feeling fairly pleased with himself. After failing at three previous Olympics, he had just won his first medal, a bronze in the men’s 50m pistol competition. He had forgotten, though, that every time a competitor secures anything less than gold for the Motherland, a CCTV journalist is dispatched to find out what went wrong – and if a self-flagellating apology is elicited in the process, then so much the better. Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063105/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:53:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062505/posts Soldiers operating the huge scroll that formed the centrepiece of last week's Olympic opening ceremony had to stay hidden under the structure for up to seven hours, wearing nappies because they were not allowed toilet breaks, state media reported on Friday. Nearly 900 soldiers were hidden underneath the scroll, many of them moving giant printing blocks with Chinese characters, the Beijing News reported. "The performers for Chinese character parts went into the models underground at 2 pm, and after getting in there they could not come out," the newspaper quoted choreographer Han Lixun as saying. "The underground area was so... bangkokpost.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062505/posts#comment Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:13:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062221/posts Briton and Australian among five detained for Beijing Tibet protest Jane Macartney in Beijing A Briton and an Australian-Canadian staged the latest challenge to Chinese rule in Tibet this morning, climbing up a huge billboard in front of the headquarters of Chinese Central Television in Beijing and unfurling a huge banner calling for a free Tibet. Philip Kirk, 24, from Hertfordshire and Nicole Rycroft, 41, a former national rower for Australia, carried out the latest demonstration against Chinese rule of the deeply Buddhist Himalayan region. The move is deeply embarrassing for China with the eyes of the world watching it... Times of London http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062221/posts#comment Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:12:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062116/posts The fleet of silver pickups may not have wowed the planet when Atlanta welcomed the 1996 Olympics, but at least the trucks and the marching bands and the gospel choirs were real. That's more than you can say for two key elements of Friday's dazzling Opening Ceremony in Beijing. Not only were some fireworks faked for TV, but the perfect little girl shown performing a Chinese anthem wasn't the owner of the perfect voice that appeared to come from her mouth. A Chinese Politburo member watching a rehearsal didn't like the teeth of Yang Peiyi, 7, who had won a... Atlanta Journal and Constitution http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062116/posts#comment Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:45:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060988/posts Excerpt - Speaking by telephone from the back of the police van as he was driven away, Ray said: "I have been roughed up. They dragged me, pulled me and knocked me to the ground. Now they are filming me." He could then be heard asking the officers with him: "Why are you filming? I am a British journalist. I have all the Olympic accreditation I need." Police officers could then be heard asking: "What's your opinion on Tibet?" Ray replied: "I have no opinion on Tibet. I am a journalist." A police officer could then be heard telling him... The Guardian (UK) (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060988/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:42:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059442/posts Live Blogging the Opening Ceremonies Mark Starr 12:03--Well they can't keep a secret in this town any better than anywhere else. Li Ning gets the honor. He takes a giant leap--and the final lap around the highest wall inside the stadium to light the cauldron. Fireworks ensue. Good job, China. Let the Games begin! 11:54--The torch is in the building! 11:53--I should have said "doves" with quotation marks. Ever since there was an accidental holocaust of the "peace" birds at one ceremony, the dovishness is strictly symbolic. 100 young women in white gesticulating gently did their dovish best. Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059442/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:55:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059393/posts So how should Freepers feel about the Olympics? Should we write about it, post about it or covering it in any way? I feel that every American (including President Bush) that are in attendance at the Olympics are traitors to democracy and civilization. These commie bastards are our enemies. Each and every Chinese citizen (and I use that term citizen very euphemistically), each man, woman and child are enemies to the USA, the west, and basic civilization. They look at us as enemies and we should return the favor. Look where pretending that "they really don't mean it" got us... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059393/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:28:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059234/posts BEIJING (AFP) - At least two people died early Sunday in a series of explosions in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, state media said, in an attack that eyewitnesses said was followed by gunfire. The report did not say who was responsible for the blasts which came little more than a day after the start of the Olympics in Beijing. Uighur separatists in Xinjiang have in video statements threatened to attack the sporting event and Chinese authorities have also warned that "terrorists" from home and abroad pose a massive threat to the Games. The blasts on Sunday occurred between... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059234/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:53:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059139/posts Had the National Population and Family Planning Commission not rescinded its invitation, I would be in China right now as the Olympics opened. But the Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the one-child policy, belatedly realized that I was a well-known critic of that policy--and of that country's human rights record in general-- and barred the door. I confess to not having been overly disappointed by their decision. Despite the fact that I read, write and speak Chinese, it would have been nearly impossible for me to do anything else in Beijing but the one thing that I will not... LifeNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059139/posts#comment Sat, 9 Aug 2008 18:36:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059039/posts A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said. The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower just five miles from the main Olympics site. The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059039/posts#comment Sat, 9 Aug 2008 14:25:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058667/posts WASHINGTON — Though it was hoped that the Olympic Games would bring about an opening on religious freedom and human rights in China, the opposite seems to have occurred.That’s according to observers and religious freedom activists. “Instead of improvements in conditions for religious freedom and other human rights, we’ve seen broad efforts to crack down on and control religious activity,” Nina Shea, senior fellow with the Center for Religious Freedom, told the Congressional Task Force for International Religious Freedom June 20. Steve Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, believes that the Chinese government will do anything to avoid... NCR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058667/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:35:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058643/posts Reporters charged with covering the Olympics are now whining about "not knowing what they will be able to cover and not knowing how much the Chinese government will censor their online coverage." The fact that the mainstream media is even remotely surprised at a Communist Government not allowing complete freedom of the press is laughable, irrespective of the fact that China promised them complete freedom to report on the events after this one party state was awarded the honor of hosting the Olympics. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is absolutely right when he reminds folks that the Chinese government is "only doing... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058643/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 16:53:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058416/posts Woman falls from consulate in Olympics protest Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, August 7, 2008 (08-06) 13:03 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A rappelling protester fell two stories from the roof of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco Wednesday, two days before the Olympic Games begin in Beijing and amid worldwide protest against China's human rights record in Tibet. San Francisco police and the State Department are conducting a joint investigation into the incident, including claims that the protester's ropes may have been intentionally cut. The protester was identified as Nyendak Wangden, 22, of Suisun City and a member of... SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058416/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 04:02:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058401/posts Beijing smog makes for a painful jog Will Pavia in Beijing All day yesterday Beijing was obscured by thick grey air, a phenomenon known in the Chinese state media as “overcast and hazy skies”, and described by the rest of the world as smog. Beijingers claim that the smog has thinned slightly in recent weeks, thanks to the factory closures and the one million cars removed from the roads, but still, for the newly arrived visitor, the vast windows of Beijing’s new airport terminal present an astonishing vista of nothingness. “We were gobsmacked when we landed,” an American athlete said.... Times of London http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058401/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 03:27:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058395/posts PARIS (AFP) - Police banned demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy in Paris on Thursday but critics of China's human rights record stepped up protests elsewhere in the world to mark the start of the Beijing Olympics. Police in the French capital said they did not want a repeat of the "violent disturbances" that broke out in April when the Olympic torch passed through Paris, when activists angry at China's crackdown in Tibet disrupted the route. They banned any protests outside the embassy on Thursday and Friday, when the Games officially open, including a demonstration planned Friday by a coalition including... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058395/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 02:59:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057994/posts Why Every American Should Care About China The Emerging Superpower Is Forging Relationships Where the U.S. Isn't   By BOB WOODRUFF, GABRIELLE TENENBAUM, SUSAN SCHAEFER and MEENA HARTENSTEINAug. 6, 2008   When the Olympics begin Friday in Beijing it will be a "coming out" party of sorts for China. Beijing hopes this will be a bright spot in what has otherwise been a tough year -- the country was hit by a devastating earthquake and rocked by scandals over tainted food and medicine and toxic toys. There have been protests, both within China and in other countries, about its... ABC NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057994/posts#comment Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:29:45 GMT