Beijing Olympics

[Urchin]

How does everyone feel about this? I can't believe it's going ahead and we aren't boycotting TBH

Olympic construction in Beijing leaves thousands homeless

It was the middle of the night when the bulldozers came. Scores of families living in the building woke to the sounds of the courtyard wall being flattened in the name of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Governments and human rights organisations across the world are hoping that the Olympic Games will open up China and further the progress of individual freedom, but behind this facade lurks a sinister element to the Olympic hysteria that is getting little attention.

The demolition and relocation of homes to make way for the city�s Olympic village has been occurring at a staggering rate, leaving hundreds of thousands of Chinese people homeless and frequently without sufficient compensation.

Demolition usually comes with only a few days notice, and sometimes none at all. If they're lucky, people come home and find the character chai painted on their front door, meaning demolish. If not, the house is already gone.

In March, Human Rights Watch reported: Chinese citizens lack any real property rights. When people present their cases to courts, judges are usually corrupted by party officials and developers. Sometimes homes will have already been destroyed by the time a judge makes a decision to even hear the case. There have been complaints of violent evictions by thugs or construction crews injuring or even killing occupants during a demolition.



Reports are coming in that estimate the games will cost China $20bn, making it the most expensive Olympics ever. The Chinese government has put the price tag at $1.608bn with an expected revenue of $1.625bn, netting the country a modest $17mn dollar profit. Yet officials from the University of North Carolina's business school, hired by China to help the country prepare for the games, estimate that logistics and planning alone would cost $5bn dollars.

Remarkably, for a country with little free speech, the protests are getting louder. Evicted people have been lighting themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, and petitions and anonymous internet protests have been multiplying. Despite the imprisonment of Ye Guozhu a housing rights activist who was imprisoned after applying for permission to hold a mass protest against the forced evictions there are some flickers of progress. The government has issued a series of promises and reforms.

 

[Tadpole]

I am absolutely appalled ...and absolutely not surprised. It is yet another thing in this world that makes me feel so bl**dy powerless and brings home the unfairness of everything. We think we live in a democracy but we don't - we have no choice really in what happens in the world and can't affect outcomes. I have petitioned, demonstrated, marched, written to different parties etc all of of my life over certain injustices I feel strongly about. And I have made NOT ONE bit of difference. I don't think there is one bit of campaigning work I can point to and say "I made a difference". These days I focus on what I can do around me, if I lift my head too much and see the sheer scale of things to be done I get so very depressed. Think global, act local and all that. I hope by making my small part of the world a bit better, I can in some way have a knock-on efect. Otherwise it is like trying to drain the seas with a sieve.

I sound such a pessimist. That said - we should never stop trying. Apathy is an isidious disease, a cancer of communities.

Aaand I'll stop before I get into full soap-box rant...

 

[mrs_tommo22]

That is so bloody awful, how can that be legal?

 

[Tadpole]

China have an appalling human rights record. And don't advocate freedom of speech. The whole issue with Tibet has shown this up as aswell. Much of the population of china won't realise a lot of what is going on - the BBC were reporting on the violence & every time Tibet was mentioned they were taken off the air. There is also limited internet access to wordwide news sites (amongst others). I think it is still a divide & rule policy.

I expect there are people on here who can explain it much better than I can though.

 

[beanie]

TBH I am not sure where I stand with this.I have been appalled at the human rights record of Chia for ages now, and am angry that this is never addressed by the government (nothing to do with the amount of trade we have with China obviously )

However whether we should boycott the olympics.... its like the cricket and Zimbabwe. There are sportspeople who spend their whole life training for these events, and may only get one opportunity to perform at the Olympics. Asking them to boycott it is very harsh, and unfair. Itspunishing them for the atrocities of another country. Personally I think itsupto the Olympic organisers to not choose these countries for hosts, but then given the state of the world where would the olympics be held????

Not an easy dilemma to solve.

 

[sparky]

I think we should boycott them! China should NEVER of been awarded the olympics in the first place

The record on human rights is appauling and the poor people of tibet have suffered for years.

And our government????? NOWHERE to be seen, if it was a middle eastern country (with a wealth of oil) we would have invaded them by now. Gordon Brown refused to meet with the Dali Lama as it might 'offend' the Chinese Government WTF?

Boils my piss