Concerns over the 2008 Summer Olympics

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Concerns over the 2008 Summer Olympics include the potential for boycotts from pro-Tibetan organizations such as Students for a Free Tibet as well as from organizations such as Amnesty International upset with China's involvement in the crisis in Darfur. China has also been battling problems with air pollution both in the city of Beijing and in neighboring areas, which the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) says it hopes to remedy before the games. The head of Interpol warned China on April 25, 2008 that there is a "real possibility" that the Beijing Olympics will be targeted by terrorist groups^[1], as well as potentially violent disruption from pro-Tibet protestors.^[2]

Contents 1 Mass displacement 2 Human Rights Violations 3 Sabotage Plot 4 Protests 4.1 Tibet 4.2 China's Involvement in Darfur 4.3 China's Involvement in Myanmar 5 Boycotts 6 Environmental and health issues 7 Chinese counter-protests 8 References 8.1 Citations 8.2 Notes

[edit] Mass displacement

The Geneva-based group, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has claimed that 1.5 million Beijing residents will be displaced from their homes for the Olympics event. Beijing's Olympic organizing committee and China's Foreign Ministry have put the number at 6,037.^[3] Some sources say that as of May 2005, 300,000 residents have been evicted in preparation for the games and that police in Beijing placed many people under arrest for protesting against the evictions.^[4] Other sources say that nearly 15,000 people have been relocated.^[5]

[edit] Human Rights Violations

For more details on this topic, see Human rights in the People's Republic of China.

Numerous human rights violations have taken place in China because of the Olympics, according to an Amnesty International report.^[6] In 2006, Beijing implemented a detention without trial scheme called "Re-education Through Labor" which targets people who have committed minor offenses and are forced to work long hours and can be detained for 4 years.^[7]

[edit] Sabotage Plot

On April 10, 2008, China announced that they had foiled a sabotage plot against the games. According to the Chinese security ministry, Uyghur separatists in the North-Western Province of Xinjiang planned to conduct suicide bomb attacks on Chinese cities and conduct kidnappings in Beijing in order to disrupt the Olympic Games. Uyghur activists claim that the Chinese fabricated these terror plots in order to prevent people in the region from voicing their grievances with the Chinese. ^[8] Xinjiang province is historically mainly an Islamic region of China which is largely populated by Turkic peoples, some who wish to make Xinjiang an independent state called East Turkestan.^[9] China reported that they had arrested 35 suspects, as part of a ten day raid.^[10]

[edit] Protests

See also: 2008 Tibetan unrest and 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay#Political fallout

While no state has indicated they will boycott the 2008 games, some groups are initiating independent campaigns to do so and other notable groups have called for protests. It has been reported that Chinese intelligence services were monitoring the activities of foreigners suspected of plotting demonstrations during the Olympics. In addition to monitoring NGOs that are concerned with domestic Chinese issues, the Chinese intelligence is also monitoring possible terrorism-related activities and anti-American demonstrations.^[11]

[edit] Tibet

Pro-Tibetan independence groups, such as Students for a Free Tibet, have initiated a campaign to protest the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.^[12][13][14] The group plans to protest for Tibetan independence and objects to the Chinese government's use of the Tibetan antelope (chiru) as one of its five mascots.^[15] The Tibetan People's Movement has also demanded representation of Tibet with its own national flag. Hollywood actor Richard Gere in his position as the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet called for the boycott of the games to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent. There have also been plans by Tibetans to organise their own version of the Olympics in May at the headquarters of Tibetan government-in-exile, because Tibet doesn't get representation.^[16]

The press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders has advocated a boycott expressing concerns over violations of free speech and human rights in China. It hopes that international pressure and petition can effect the release of prisoners of conscience, and hold China to promises made to the IOC, regarding improvements in human rights.^[17] Reporters Without Borders journalists interrupted the speech of China organizing committee chief during the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece March 24, 2008.^[18] Three of them breached a cordon of 1,000 police at the ancient Olympia stadium and ran behind Liu Qi, head of the Beijing Games committee, as he made a speech. One protestor tried to snatch the microphone as another unrolled a black flag showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs. The trio, from a French human rights group, were dragged away by police.^[19] Nearly 50 Tibetan exiles in India began a global torch relay March 25, 2008 with a symbolic "Olympic" flame that will end in Tibet on August 8, 2008, the day of the Summer Games' opening ceremonies in Beijing.^[18]

[edit] China's Involvement in Darfur

Activists working to address the ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan, have called for pressure to be exerted on China because of their financial and diplomatic support for Omar al-Bashir, who is responsible for the Sudanese government's proxy militias. These advocates, which include actress Mia Farrow, NBA athlete Ira Newble, and Sudan researcher Eric Reeves, have organized a global advocacy campaign called Olympic Dream for Darfur. Some have begun to refer to the Beijing Olympics as the "Genocide Olympics" as noted in The China Post as a way of connecting Beijing's close political and economic ties to the Sudanese regime. The Chinese government, in turn, has criticised the activists for "politicising" the Olympics and outlined its plans to help the Sudanese economy.^[20][21]

[edit] China's Involvement in Myanmar

Since China has close economic and military ties with Myanmar, it is seen as a major lever against the repressive regime in Myanmar.^[22] Many have also criticized China's opposition of sanctions against Myanmar's military rulers,^[23] who used force against anti-government protesters in 2007. The Olympics are considered a way to motivate China to take a firm stance against human rights violations in Burma.^[24]

On September 28, 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu urged China to intervene in the ongoing protests in Myanmar. Tutu said that if China did not take a stance against the military rulers in Myanmar he would "join a campaign to boycott the Beijing Olympics".^[25] His call has been taken up by the U.S. Campaign for Burma.

[edit] Boycotts

Calls for sustained pressure and possible boycotts of the Olympics have come from former French presidential candidate François Bayrou,^[26] actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow,^[27] Genocide Intervention Network Representative Ronan Farrow,^[27] author and Sudan scholar Eric Reeves^[28] and the The Washington Post editorial board.^[29] Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, founder of the Los Angeles' University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, sent a letter to Hu Jintao on April 2, 2007 to discuss and possibly end China's involvement in the conflict.^[30] In February 2008, Spielberg announced he was stepping down from his role as an artistic advisor in protest of the Chinese government's refusal to pressure Sudan to stop the "continuing human suffering" in the Darfur region. He noted: "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these on-going crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more."^[31] Additionally, a group of 106 lawmakers in the United States have circulated a letter calling for the US to boycott the coming Olympics because of China's support of the Sudanese regime and the forced relocation^[4] of 300,000 Chinese poor to make room for the games.^[32] Congresswoman Maxine Waters introduced a similar resolution in early August 2007.^[33]

The British Olympic Association (BOA) will require that before leaving for China, British Olympic team members sign an agreement, stating that they "are not to comment on any politically sensitive issues." However, BOA spokesman Graham Newsom stated that the BOA didn't intend to censor athletes, and referred to a rule in the International Olympic Committee charter which states, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."^[34][35]

On April 2, 2008, the Japanese government announced that its royal family will not participate in the opening ceremony, now that the violent crackdown in Tibet has been the focus of international concern. These issues led the government to decide to reject the request.^[36]

On April 5, French newspaper Le Monde quoted a French minister as stating that the attendance of president Sarkozy at the opening ceremony is "conditional". Three conditions were set: "an end to violence against the population and the release of political prisoners, light to be shed on the events in Tibet and the opening of dialogue with the Dalai Lama."^[37] However, Minister Rama Yade said that Le Monde misquoted her as listing conditions, and that the word "conditions" was never used. BBC News wrote that while Sarkozy was opposed to a full boycott, he would "not close the door to any possibility" as far as his own attendance is concerned.^[38]

Masahisa Tsujitani, a Japanese craftsman who makes shots used by many Olympic athletes announced April 14 he refuses to allow his wares to be used at the 2008 Olympics to protest against China's treatment of protesters in Tibet.^[39]

[edit] Environmental and health issues

Concern has been raised over the air quality of Beijing and its potential effect on the athletes.^[c] Although the Beijing Municipal Government, in its bid file in 2001, committed to lowering air pollution, increasing environmental protection, and introducing environmental technology,^[41] research data show that even if the city were to dramatically cut down its emissions, pollution would still drift over the neighboring provinces,^[42] from which 50 percent of Beijing's air is believed to originate.^[43] At current levels, air pollution is at least 2 to 3 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Marco Cardinale of the British Olympic Association has stated that air pollution coupled with heat and humidity makes it "very unlikely we'll see outstanding performances in endurance sports."^[42] Despite this, Beijing committed to remove 60,000 taxis and buses from the roads by the end of 2007 and relocate 200 local factories, including a prominent steel factory,^[42] before the games begin.^[43] The Chinese government has provided assurances that "blue skies are a requirement not only for Beijing, but also for the places around it."^[44] The United States Olympic Committee has also expressed its assurance that the air quality of Beijing will not be a concern for the U.S. delegation to the games.^[45] Nevertheless, the IOC's medical commission recently analyzed air-quality data recorded by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau in August, when test athletic events were held in the Chinese capital. The commission found that outdoor endurance events -- defined as those that include at least an hour of continuous, high-intensity physical effort -- may pose some risk.^[46]

In spite of such efforts, several countries have indicated that their athletes will arrive at the games as late as possible to limit exposure to pollution.^[47] Some countries including Japan and South Korea have set up offshore training camps to avoid the pollution.^[48]

Meteorological findings in April 2007 also have suggested that, based on rainfall data from the past 30 years, there is a 50 percent chance of rain for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games.^[49][50] To combat the chance of poor weather, Beijing officials plan to seed clouds to induce rain several days before the games begin by shooting thousands of silver iodate pellets into the air using ground-based rockets.^[51][52] While the effectiveness of this method is questionable, Beijing is optimistic that it will reduce the chance of rainfall during the games,^[53] and planned to carry out several tests as a practice in the summer of 2007, one year before the games begin.^[51] Officials have also stated that inducing rain should also remove some of the pollution from the air.^[50]

Another issue of concern is that of Beijing's poor tap water supply. A high-ranking Beijing official has stated that tap water in the city should be avoided.^{[citation needed]} The water coming out of the water plants is safe, according to Bi Xiaogang of the Beijing Water Management Bureau; the process of transporting the water throughout the city is what contaminates it. Beijing is suffering from a drought of 15 years as well as a lack of major fresh water sources elsewhere, so many locals drink bottled water instead of that from the tap.^[54] Officials of the city water authority have ensured, however, that "the safety and efficiency of the water system" will be maintained and that the recycled water supplied to the Olympic Village will be as clean as tap water.^[55]

Following recent scares regarding the safety of food products manufactured in China, the United States Olympic Committee has decided to import food for its athletes. In particular, athletes were concerned that eating meat that was raised in China could contain enough steroids to cause the athletes to test positive for steroid use.^[56] The United States Olympic Committee's plan to bring its own food to China has disappointed the leader of food services for the Beijing Olympics.^[57]

[edit] Chinese counter-protests

The condemnation of China by Western countries has caused a surge of nationalism and anti-foreigner sentiment in China, with the risk that violence will be directed at foreign visitors to the Olympics.^[58] French goods have been threatened with a boycott for the French government's handling of the torch relay through Paris, with flag burning protests outside the French supermarket chain Carrefour.^[59] A number of death threats have been received against foreign journalists in China, for what some Chinese see as the biased reporting on Tibet by the Western Media. Time magazine suggests current patriotic protests could erupt into anti-government protests, as with the 1919 May Fourth Movement.^[58] Media reports that the attitudes of regular citizens towards foreigners in China have noticeably worsened. A poll found that 80% of Chinese respondents thought that foreign media sources conveyed a biased view of China. In late April Chinese internet censors, who had previously permitted posts critical of foreigners, began blocking words such as "Carrefour", in what was seen as an attempt to calm tensions before the games. Foreigners in Beijing reported more regular checks of their identification and work permits, while travel agents in Hong Kong reported that multiple-entry business visas for the mainland, commonly used by foreign businesspeople who lack work visas, were no longer being issued, apparently in an attempt to prevent the entry of foreign activists.^[60]

[edit] References

[edit] Citations

[edit] Notes