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Mainland Chinese Media on Protest in Tibet

According to the  Hong Kong-based Apple Daily, as of March 15, the second day of reported protests in  Tibet, Mainland Chinese news media outlets were mostly silent about it. The official Xinhua news agency only reported on the protests on its English site.  At one point, Xinhua reported shooting by local police on its English site, but soon took the notice down.

Chinese Central Television (CCTV) aired some video footage about Tibet on its evening news on March 15, which only contained scenes of a group of young people burning stores or attacking civilians. It did not mention an earlier peaceful demonstration or the arrest of protesters by the local police. CCTV’s evening news called the protest “a riot that was carefully organized by Dalai Lama with the intention of damaging social stability.”

In the afternoon of March 15, major mainland Chinese websites and newspapers started to carry an article by Xinhua titled “Q&A issued by officials of the Tibet Autonomous Region about a small group of people creating social disorder” but the web link for posting comments was disabled.

Source: Boxun, March 16, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/03/200803161002.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Shanghai Jiefang Daily: U.S. Has Two Faces on Human Rights Issues

The Jiefang Daily criticized the U.S. of having a double standard when it issued its 2007 human rights report on other countries. The article said that “while the U.S. pays close attention to human rights violations by other countries, it was blind to its own deteriorating human rights record.” The article stated that there has been a 25 percent increase in cases of personal rights infringement by the executive and judicial branches from 2001 to 2007; The U.S.-lead Iraq war has caused 660,000 casualties with 90 percent of them civilians; and the [Abu-Graib] prisoner abuse scandal has become a symbol of the U. S. The article suggested that U.S. should mind its own business before pointing fingers at others.

Source: Xinhua, March 14, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-03/14/content_7786747.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Tibetan Organizations: Beijing May Have Staged Street Riots

According to the website Tibetan Pages, overseas Tibetan organizations warned the international community not to be taken in by March 14 street violence staged by Beijing, citing the lesson they learned from the 1989 Lhasa protest when “Communists sent 300 state agents into Lhasa disguised as residents and monks to cooperate with the plain clothed police from the public security bureau” by burning and ransacking stores. The website was created at the request of the Dalai Lama.

Those who participated in last week’s violence have until midnight March 17 to surrender, said a joint notice issued by the Chinese-controlled Tibetan government police and judicial authorities. The notice was issued a day after the city erupted in riots against China’s control of the Himalayan region, with crowds setting fire to businesses and vehicles.

Source: Tibetan Pages, March 16, 2008
http://www.xizang-zhiye.org/b5/xzxinwen/0803/index.html#080316.4
China Tibet Information Center, March 15, 2008
http://tibet.cn/news/zfzx/zfgg/t20080315_299364.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

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

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

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

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

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

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

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

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

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

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics