More info on the Olympic torch relay including links to the SFT actions calling on IOC president Jacques Rogge to remove Tibet from the torch relay route.

Today’s rally went well – about 200-300 people in Reddacliff place to hear Senator Andrew Bartlett, Ross Daniels, Sasha Jesperson and I talking about the situation in Tibet.

The rallies around the country made the media, including a very brief snippet from ‘yours truly’ on ABC TV News in which I make a complete goose of myself by talking about how PM Rudd should raise the issue of Tibet when he visits China later in the month (note: today is the 31st of March – doesn’t get much later in the month than that). Obviously, I meant next month. Ah, well – you can see the story on the net at www.abc.net.au/news/video/ and click on the story about the torch arriving safely in Beijing.

Still, at least all of the stories by the major news outlets about the torch’s arrival in Beijing have the protests here and abroad attached. Nice to have spoilt the Chinese government’s party a little by highlighting their human rights record in Tibet.

Thanks to everyone who turned out, and to the 1.4 million of you that signed the petition from avaaz.org – apparently according to avaaz this is the worlds largest and fastest growing global online petition in history.

Calls for a non-athletic boycott continue to gain momentum with leaders from the Czech Republic and Poland stating they will boycott the Olympic opening ceremony.

Apparently, China wants its army to oversee the Olympic torch relay in Australia.

Probably to stop pesky human rights campaigners like us from reminding the world how ironic it is that they have the games when the Olympic charter states (and I quote):

“Fundamental Principles of Olympism

1. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”

[ed: Ethical principles apparently include arbitrary arrest, non-judicial detention and torture.]

“2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”

[ed: The forced sterilisation of Tibetan women not explicitly referred to, and is probably a local interpretation.]

“3. The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.”

[ed: That's supreme authority, as in, we are the IOC. Whatever we say, goes. We'll give the games to whoever we want, track record be damned. And the Olympics aren't political either.]

“4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organisation, administration and management of sport must be controlled by independent sports organisations.”

[ed: Here are a few other human rights: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom from racial discrimination and persecution.]

“5. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”

[ed: I'm stuck here - can't read it any other way. China discriminates against Tibetans for both their race and religion. Apparently that's incompatible with the Olympic movement. Perhaps not?]

“6. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.”

[ed: I'm not sure what the IOC is supposed to be recognising, but it doesn't appear to be the complete incompatibility with the Olympic charter and China's absolute lack of merit as an Olympic host.]

Thankfully, the good ‘ol Australian Federal Police have told them that we’ll be fine dealing with our pesky protesters in our own way thanks all the same for the kind and generous offer.

Of course, this is not the first time China have interfered with our internal affairs (something they hate us doing to them). They of course instructed our own authorities to remove perfectly legal and peaceful protesters from the parliamentary gallery when Hu Jintao addressed parliament back in 2003.

Author and former director of Free Tibet Campaign in London, Patrick French, puts forward an interesting (if not depressing) perspective on the strategies of the Tibet movement in this article in the New York Times.

Perhaps he is right.  Perhaps we can’t change China.  But we must try.

And as for negotiating a realistic solution to the Tibetan issue, I believe that the current “middle way” proposal is just that.

Pressure on more fronts as China dissidents call for dialogue with Dalai Lama.

Update:  I’ve just received the full text (below).

Beijing, March 22, 2008

1. At present the one-sided propaganda of the official Chinese media is
having the effect of stirring up inter-ethnic animosity and aggravating
an already tense situation. This is extremely detrimental to the
long-term goal of safeguarding national unity. We call for such
propaganda to be stopped.

2. We support the Dalai Lama’s appeal for peace, and hope that the
ethnic conflict can be dealt with according to the principles of
goodwill, peace, and non-violence. We condemn any violent act against
innocent people, strongly urge the Chinese government to stop the
violent suppression, and appeal to the Tibetan people likewise not to
engage in violent activities.

3. The Chinese government claims that “there is sufficient evidence to
prove this incident was organized, premeditated, and meticulously
orchestrated by the Dalai clique.” We hope that the government will show
proof of this. In order to change the international community’s negative
view and distrustful attitude, we also suggest that the government
invite the United Nation’s Commission on Human Rights to carry out an
independent investigation of the evidence, the course of the incident,
the number of casualties, etc.

4. In our opinion, such Cultural-Revolution-like language as “the Dalai
Lama is a jackal in Buddhist monk’s robes and an evil spirit with a
human face and the heart of a beast ” used by the Chinese Communist
Party leadership in the Tibet Autonomous Region is of no help in easing
the situation, nor is it beneficial to the Chinese government’s image.
As the Chinese government is committed to integrating into the
international community, we maintain that it should display a style of
governing that conforms to the standards of modern civilization.

5. We note that on the very day when the violence
erupted in Lhasa (March 14), the leaders of the Tibet Autonomous Region
declared that “there is sufficient evidence to prove this incident was
organized, premeditated, and meticulously orchestrated by the Dalai
clique.” This shows that the authorities in Tibet knew in advance that
the riot would occur, yet did nothing effective to prevent the incident
from happening or escalating. If there was a dereliction of duty, a
serious investigation must be carried out to determine this and deal
with it accordingly.

6. If in the end it cannot be proved that this was an
organized, premeditated, and meticulously orchestrated event but was
instead a “popular revolt” triggered by events, then the authorities
should pursue those responsible for inciting the popular revolt and
concocting false information to deceive the Central Government and the
people; they should also seriously reflect on what can be learned from
this event so as to avoid taking the same course in the future.

7. We strongly demand that the authorities not subject
every Tibetan to political investigation or revenge. The trials of those
who have been arrested must be carried out according to judicial
procedures that are open, just, and transparent so as to ensure that all
parties are satisfied.

8. We urge the Chinese government to allow credible
national and international media to go into Tibetan areas to conduct
independent interviews and news reports. In our view, the current news
blockade cannot gain credit with the Chinese people or the international
community, and is harmful to the credibility of the Chinese government.
If the government grasps the true situation, it need not fear
challenges. Only by adopting an open attitude can we turn around the
international community’s distrust of our government.

9. We appeal to the Chinese people and overseas Chinese
to be calm and tolerant, and to reflect deeply on what is happening.
Adopting a posture of aggressive nationalism will only invite antipathy
from the international community and harm China’s international image.

10. The disturbances in Tibet in the 1980s were limited to
Lhasa, whereas this time they have spread to many Tibetan areas. This
deterioration indicates that there are serious mistakes in the work that
has been done with regard to Tibet. The relevant government departments
must conscientiously reflect upon this matter, examine their failures,
and fundamentally change the failed nationality policies.

11. In order to prevent similar incidents from happening
in future, the government must abide by the freedom of religious belief
and the freedom of speech explicitly enshrined in the Chinese
Constitution, thereby allowing the Tibetan people fully to express their
grievances and hopes, and permitting citizens of all nationalities
freely to criticize and make suggestions regarding the government’s
nationality policies.

12. We hold that we must eliminate animosity and bring
about national reconciliation, not continue to increase divisions
between nationalities. A country that wishes to avoid the partition of
its territory must first avoid divisions among its nationalities.
Therefore, we appeal to the leaders of our country to hold direct
dialogue with the Dalai Lama. We hope that the Chinese and Tibetan
people will do away with the misunderstandings between them, develop
their interactions with each other, and achieve unity. Government
departments as much as popular organizations and religious figures
should make great efforts toward this goal.

Signatures:

Wang Lixiong (Beijing, Writer)
Liu Xiaobo (Beijing, Freelance Writer)
Zhang Zuhua (Beijing, scholar of constitutionalism)
Sha Yexin (Shanghai, writer, Chinese Muslim)
Yu Haocheng (Beijing, jurist)
Ding Zilin (Beijing, professor)
Jiang peikun (Beijing, professor)
Yu Jie (Beijing, writer)
Sun Wenguang (Shangdong, professor)
Ran Yunfei (Sichuan, editor, Tujia nationality)
Pu Zhiqiang (Beijing, lawyer)
Teng Biao (Beijing, Layer and scholar)
Liao Yiwu ()Sichuan, writer)
Wang Qisheng (Beijing, scholar)
Zhang Xianling (Beijing, engineer)
Xu Jue (Beijing, research fellow)
Li Jun (Gansu, photographer)
Gao Yu (Beijing, journalist)
Wang Debang (Beijing, freelance writer)
Zhao Dagong (Shenzhen, freelance writer)
Jiang Danwen (Shanghai, writer)
Liu Yi (Gansu, painter)
Xu Hui (Beijing, writer)
Wang Tiancheng (Beijing, scholar)
Wen kejian (Hangzhou, freelance)
Li Hai (Beijing, freelance writer)
Tian Yongde (Inner Mongolia, folk human rights activists)
Zan Aizong (Hangzhou, journalist)
Liu Yiming (Hubei, freelance writer)
Liu  Di (Beijing, freelance writer)