Wednesday 6 August 2008

Before the Olympics, 'Free Tibet'


Please, Mr Rudd, do not leave Beijing without speaking out about Tibet...[let alone Human Rights Abuse...and Internet Censorship!!!]

A "Free Tibet" activist group will screen an advertisement urging Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to speak to the Chinese leadership about finding a solution for Tibet during his visit to the Olympics in Beijing.

Political action group Get Up and the Australia Tibet Council have sent Mr Rudd a copy of the ad, which will be aired on a television network before and after Friday's opening ceremony, costing tens of thousands of dollars.

It features an Australian-Tibetan woman in traditional dress sitting in a meditation pose, pleading with the prime minister.

"Please, Mr Rudd, do not leave Beijing without speaking out about Tibet," she says.

Get Up executive director Brett Solomon said the advertisement would not be screened during the opening ceremony "out of respect".

He said the poignant images of the woman's plea would effectively communicate the message to the prime minister that seven out of ten Australians supported speaking out about the oppressive regime in Tibet.

"We think this is the opportune time, when he's directly face-to-face with people who can change this, to actually speak out," Mr Solomon told reporters.

Australian Tibetan Council officer Paul Bourke said China was going through the motions and appearing to address the Tibet issue without coming up with a solution.

"Nothing's changed in Tibet, in fact it's worse," Mr Bourke told reporters.

"If Mr Rudd and other world leaders attending the opening ceremony remain silent, the Chinese government will interpret this as acceptance of the current situation in Tibet."

Quote: Not much mention about China selling body parts in recent times including hearts of people imprisoned from those on death row or those forced into labour camps. Please Note: Don't expect too much from Kevin Rudd because he also has a “constructive engagement” with China and tied to major Australian multinational corporations that profit heavily from the Chinese market.

Related:

American Foreign Policy Brought to You by China: Advisers to Obama, McCain Tied to US Multinationals that Profit from Beijing


President Bush is heading to China this week, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics on Friday. The Games’ presence in Beijing have helped spotlight opposition to China on a number of policies, including its repression of the Tibetan independence movement, its support for the Sudanese government in Darfur and its crackdown on dissidents and civil liberties at home. In the latest issue of Harper’s Magazine, Ken Silverstein says many of the bipartisan experts who have advocated so-called “constructive engagement” with China are tied to major US multinational corporations that profit heavily from the Chinese market.

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