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All posts by TGS - 165. page

Military Playing Crucial Role in the Olympics

According to Beijing Communist Party Secretary Liu Qi, the Chinese military will play a crucial role in the Beijing Olympics on issues related to construction, security, anti-terrorist operations, performances and translation services. Earlier, the Communist Party committee in the Hebei military district had listed providing security to the Olympics as one of its top five priorities for the year 2008.

Beijing Olympic Security Command Chief Tian Yixiang stated in June 2007 that the primary threats to the Games include East Turkistan terrorist groups, pro-Tibet independence groups and Falun Gong.

Sources: Xinhua, January 21, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/sports/2008-01/21/content_7463404.htm
Hebei Daily, January 14, 2008.
http://www.heb.chinanews.com.cn/news/szdt/2008-01-14/20392.shtml
Voice of America, June 29, 2007
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/archive/2007-06/w2007-06-29-voa10.cfm?CFID=28130922&CFTOKEN=57196252

Violations of State’s Planned Parenthood Policy

According to the Gansu Provincial Population and Family Planning Work Conference 2007, 2,718 Party members who are government officials have more children than allowed under the Planned Parenthood policy. 2,191 of them have been reprimanded by the Party or received administrative disciplinary actions. In 2008, those who violate Planned Parenthood policy cannot be promoted or nominated as Party delegates and National Congress members. In 1979 The Chinese government introduced the one-child policy to curb population growth.

Source: Xinhua, March 13, 2008 http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-03/13/content_7785026.htm

Hong Kong on U.S. Human Rights Report

A Hong Kong Special Administrative Region representative commented on the U.S. report stating that although universal suffrage will not occur in 2008, gradual changes may be made for the elections of the Chief Executive and the 60-member Legislative Council.  

Universal suffrage would allow
Hong Kong residents to choose their representatives independent of Beijing’s appointment. Hong Kong has been a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since July 1, 1997.  On December 29, 2007, Beijing made it clear that it would not allow universal suffrage for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive until 2017. Similarly, it will not be until 2020 that Hong Kong’s residents may have the right to directly elect all the members of Hong Kong’s legislature. 

Source: Ming Pao, March 12, 2008
http://www.ipinews.com/htm/INews/20080312/gb31747c.htm

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Accuses Dalai Lama of Politicizing the Olympics

On March 11, 2008, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang stated that Dalai Lama continues to distort the facts in an attempt to politicize the Beijing Olympic Games and that the attempt is unwise and will not succeed.

Qin made the remarks in response to a question at the daily briefing pertaining to the Dalai Lama’s statement on March 10, 2008 criticizing China for its tight control of Tibet in violation of human rights along with lack of freedom of speech and religion in Tibet.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 11, 2008 http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/chn/xwfw/fyrth/t413853.htm

China Rejects Kadeer’s claim that China fabricated Olympics Terror plots

On March 11, 2008, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang rejected the claim of an Uyghur dissident that Chinese authorities are trying to use the Olympics Games as a pretext to suppress the Uyghurs. Qin said that the dissidents are sowing discord between the Han and Uyghur people to incite ethnic conflicts and that they will not succeed. Earlier, Xinhua reported that the Uyghurs allegedly had attempted two air attacks directed at the Olympic Games.

"The real goal of the Chinese government is to organize a terrorist attack so that it can increase its crackdown on the Uyghur people," Rebiya Kadeer, the 61-year-old head of the Uyghur American Association said.

Source, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 11, 2008.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/chn/xwfw/fyrth/t413853.htm

State Church Organizations Call for Support of the Olympics

According the official website for the 2008 Olympics, two state-run Christian organizations issued a joint resolution in support of the Olympics. The resolution states that the event will show the steady increase in China’s national power and that the Christians share the joy. The two organizations are the National Committee of Three Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China and the Chinese Christian Council. Their mission is to ensure that all Christians in China comply with the law and support the government and Chinese Communist Party.

Sources: Official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, March 6, 2008 http://www.beijing2008.cn/news/dynamics/headlines/n214262486.shtml Chinese Protestant Church, http://www.chineseprotestantchurch.org.cn/other/about.htm

Olympics: Pro-Democracy Student Leaders Demand Right to Return to China

A group of pro-democracy student leaders asked in a joint statement that China allow free travel. They and many others have had their Chinese passports revoked or renewal denied, effectively banning them from returning to China. Their joint statement says that the Olympic Charter prohibits any country from denying anyone the right to attend the Olympic Game on the basis of political or religious affiliation, and that China engages in political persecution via its passport administration, thus violating the Olympic Charter.

Source: Asian Times, March 6, 2008 reprinted by Boxun http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/intl/2008/03/200803070458.shtml

Hong Kong Media on 2008 China’s Defense Budget

Double Digit Increase of Military Expenditure Has Continued for 20 years. Hong Kong’s Apple Daily published an article on March 5, 2008 on China’s newly released defense budget. It states that China’s military expenditure has been on the rise with a double digital increase for 20 years in a row. After the 1989 Tiananmen massacre when military forces were used to suppress the Beijing democracy movement, defense expenditure started to take off and hit 355.39 billion yuan last year, about 14 times what it was in 1989.

Apple Daily comments that the 2008 defense budget of 417.7 billion yuan is no surprise in light of last week’s lengthy article in the PLA Daily calling for a significant increase in the defense budget.

Source: Apply Daily, March 5, 2008 reprinted by New Century News. http://www.newcenturynews.com/Article/china/200803/20080305145831.html