As the clock is ticking the minutes until the 2008 Beijing Olympics, now only one-year away, China is also stepping up its security for the games. On May 16, 2007, sina.com, one of the largest news websites in China, published a report indicating that Beijing will have the (Beijing) Olympic Intelligence Center administer tight background checks and risk evaluations on all of the athletes and officials who will attend. Anyone who fails to pass this check will not be given a visa and will be prohibited from entering China.
Zhang Shuyuan, deputy secretary of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and vice director of Security Department，said that the Intelligence Center will observe the principle of "non-explanation." That is, the center will not give anyone any reason for its decision to deny entry into the country.
These secret background checks are intended to keep all potential dissidents completely out of sight during the Olympics. Included are a long list of individuals and organizations that the regime regards as enemies. According to sources in China’s Ministry of Public Security, in April 2007, the Ministry issued an internal secret directive called "Notification on Strictly Carrying Out Background Investigations on Candidates for the Olympics and Performing Pre-Selection Screening." The notice went to all of its local offices in China and to embassies and consulates overseas. The directive lists 43 categories of people who will be investigated and barred from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Categories include such groups as overseas hostile forces, counter-revolutionary figures, the Dalai Lama and affiliates, Falun Gong, religious groups, individuals who instigate disapproval of the Chinese Communist Party through the Internet, any media that publishes anti-communist articles and, in most instances, any relatives or affiliates of anyone in these categories (an excerpt of the directive is attached at the end of the article).
China is also keeping and eye on foreign organizations that might mount protests during the Olympics. AP reported from Beijing on July 24, 2007, that China’s intelligence services and think tanks are compiling lists of potentially troublesome foreign organizations. They are looking at human rights groups that have long been critical of Beijing. They include evangelical Christians eager to end China’s religious restrictions, activists wanting Beijing to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end the strife in Darfur and environmental campaigners angry about global warming.
Back in 2001 when Beijing was bidding for the right to host the 2008 Olympics, Chinese authorities promised to improve its human rights in order to quiet the opposing voices, such as Reporters Without Border, but once they won the Olympics, the Chinese regime never fulfilled its commitment.
On June 28, 2007, Reporters Without Border re-launched its "Beijing 2008" campaign with a graphic of the Olympic rings replaced by handcuffs. Reporters Without Border has been one of the staunchest opponents of the Beijing Olympics, citing the communist regime’s poor and worsening human rights record.
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In its recent letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge, of Reporters Without Border says, "Throughout the world, concern is growing about the holding of these Olympics, which have been taken hostage by a government that balks at taking action to guarantee freedom of expression and respect for the Olympic Charter’s humanistic values." The organization also vows to use its sections and networks to distribute this campaign ad all over the world for one year without any let-up.
Apart from terrorist attacks, the Chinese regime will not allow any "different" voices at this major event. It will do whatever it takes to make sure that the Olympics Games are a glorious event under its reign.
Joshua Lee is a correspondent for Chinascope.
Notification on Strictly Carrying Out Background Investigations on Candidates for the Olympics and Performing a Pre-Selection Screening
I. Background Investigations on Individuals:
1. International Olympic Committee ("IOC") members, including:
(1) IOC members and guests who the Officials of international sports associations invited.
(2) Officials of the International Single Item Sports Association, referees and their invited guests.
(3) National and regional IOC members, including athletes, officials of delegations and officials attending the Olympics.
(4) Officials of the Executive Committee in the Organization Committee of the Host Country, the host city mayor, host city leadership in the government and their invited important guests.
(5) The Host city for the next Olympics and representatives from other cities applying for hosting the next Olympics.
(6) Sponsors who have signed contracts with the IOC.
(7) Athletes and Delegations.
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2. Media: Media who purchased broadcasting rights and institutions who purchased broadcasting rights.
3. All Olympic staff members, including IOC employees, volunteers, contractors, security and temporary staff, and all others falling in this category.
II. Benchmarks for Background Investigation:
Anyone who falls into the following 43 categories, subdivided further into 11 different subcategories, must be excluded from the Olympics Games and competitions:
1. China’s Enemies:
(1) Overseas hostile forces and hostile organization members.
(2) Key individuals in ideological fields.
(3) Individuals who disturb social stability.
(4) Hostile individuals in Mainland China.
(5) Individuals who were handicapped during riots, those who endanger society and family members of deceased people.
(6) Individuals who were sentenced because they committed anti-revolutionary or other crimes and are thus considered a threat to national security, close relatives of such individuals, and individuals who have close ties to them.
(7) Individuals who escaped overseas and any of their suspicious associates.
2. Falun Gong and Other Cult Organization and Members of Other Harmful Qigong
(1) Falun Gong and other cult organization members, associated organization who are supporting Falun Gong.
(2) Members of 14 organizations that are evil cult organizations and have assumed the mantle of religions, those that were identified by relevant state agencies and members of seven other existing evil cult organizations.
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(3) Members of the 14 risky qigong associations that were identified by state agencies.
3. Religious Extremists and Members of such Religions
(1) Members of illegal organizations, whether they reside locally or abroad.
(2) Individuals who were arrested or sentenced for being engaged in unlawful religious activities.
(3) Individuals who are active in illegal religious activities.
(4) Individuals who distribute illegal religious books and audio-video products.
(5) Individuals who form unlawful religious groups, organizations, schools and other such sites, as well as other religious entities not sanctioned by the state.
4. National Separatists
(1) Members of the "Three Forces" in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and individuals supporting them locally and abroad.
(2) The Dalai Lama’s Government of Tibet in Exile and members of its affiliated organizations.
(3) Individuals who partake in parades, demonstrations and protest activities with the goal of breaking up nations.
(4) People who offer financial support to national separatist groups or activities.
5. Media People who endanger the Olympic Games:
(1) The staff of any foreign media that is hostile to the People’s Republic of China.
(2) The staff of any media that publishes anti-communist articles and those who viciously slander the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government.
6. Non-governmental organizations involved in activities that pose a threat to the Olympic Games:
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(1) Foreign non-governmental organizations that are supported by foreign governments and are known to be involved in penetrating, overthrowing and destroying the CCP and the Chinese government.
(2) All members of different non-governmental organizations who are likely to jeopardize the Beijing Olympic Games.
7. Dangerous elements, consistent appealers and other individuals who are known to be strongly discontent with the CCP
(1) Individuals who show strong discontent with the CCP and Chinese government.
(2) Individuals who file consistently troublesome lawsuits or appeal to higher authorities for support.
(3) Individuals who bring foreign lawsuits in cooperation with overseas forces.
8. Individuals who filed for investigation and prosecution by judicial authorities, or those under criminal and administrative orders.
(1) Individuals who filed a complaint with the public security authorities
(2) Individuals who are under residential surveillance and out on bail while awaiting trial and those with restricted liberty.
(3) Individuals who were once detained or arrested on suspicion of criminal activities and were released without being fully cleared.
(4) All individuals at large and escapees.
(5) Individuals with warrants against them and individuals under investigation.
(6) Those the border control suspects of being criminals.
9. Criminal elements who are on parole or on probationary supervision, who are awaiting sentencing, who are released on parole, who are leased on bail for medical treatment, who are deprived of political rights, others who have received a sentence but are under home detention and those who were sentenced to labor re-education and rehabilitation and whose labor re-education sentence or other type of sentence was commuted.
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(1) Criminals who are sentenced to home detention and are under supervision, whose political rights were taken away and who were given a suspended sentence.
(2) Criminals who were sentenced and released on parole, and whose sentence was commuted to temporary home detention but continue to be under surveillance and who are serving criminal detention outside a detention center.
(3) Individuals who are sentenced to serve labor re-education outside the re-education labor center.
(4) Individuals who were released on bail for medical treatment and those who asked to be released under such a program.
10. Violent terrorists
(1) Members of terrorist organizations.
(2) Individuals who offer support and assistance to terrorist organizations or their members.
(3) Relatives of members of terrorist organizations or individuals known to have a close relationship with such members.
11. Members of illegal organizations
(1) Individuals who are members of unlawful political organizations.
(2) Individuals who carry out activities in the name of organizations that are not lawfully registered.
(3) Individuals serving an illegal organization in any capacity. Individuals who establish ties with such an organization and individuals who use the Internet to instigate discontentment toward the CCP.