Olympic Snubs over Tibet

[Ronin]

The Portuguese President declines invitation to be in the Opening of the Olympics...

*sorry only Portuguese news source*
President Cavaco Silva declines Chinese invitation

"Portugal will only be represented at the ceremony by the Secretary of State for the field of Sport, after President Cavaco Silva declined an invitation for the event, the office of the President would not comment on the reasons for this but it is widely believed that this is in connection with the latest developments in Tibet"


I normally don´t agree with the men politically....but for once I have to say 'Well done Mr. President'

I´ll be on a personal boycott of the Olympics this year anyway.

[Fragony]

Respect for the portugese PM

[Mithrandir]

I´ll be on a personal boycott of the Olympics this year anyway.

Me too, I'll leave the gold for others this year.

[Ronin]

Respect for the portugese PM

This is the Portuguese President.... the Portuguese Prime Minister is another guy....

[InsaneApache]

As a subject to Her Majesty, he gets confused.

[Fragony]

Well respect for him then, got to love a politician that has the balls to make a stand, kudo's for portugal

[Geoffrey S]

Somehow, I have my doubts about the merits of reinstating an archaic theocracy.

[Mikeus Caesar]

I can only hope more countries follow suit, maybe even have a few major ones have a complete boycott.

Maybe then China will get the message that absorbing other countries into your country is not acceptable in this day and age.

[Ronin]

Somehow, I have my doubts about the merits of reinstating an archaic theocracy.

No one is saying that the previous Tibet government was a good one....

And I know that lots of people just look at the Dalai Lama and make that mistake...


But China has lots of things wrong with it even if you don´t consider the Tibet issue...why the IOC decide to sanction all that by giving them the games I´ll never know...

[Kralizec]

I think it's, in itself, a noble thing to do...but it isn't going to make a difference unless more government leaders follow.

[Pannonian]

I can only hope more countries follow suit, maybe even have a few major ones have a complete boycott.

Maybe then China will get the message that absorbing other countries into your country is not acceptable in this day and age.

The Chinese don't really think that way. They think that Tibet is an integral part of China, that took advantage of the weakness of late Qing to break away, was reintegrated, but wants to break away again. A comparison may be made with the confederacy, which was also forcibly reintegrated into the US.

[Incongruous]

Uuuh, they are a different ethnicity, culture and country.
They were part o an Empire, not a nation. So I don't think there is a valid comparison there.

[Slyspy]

Somehow, I have my doubts about the merits of reinstating an archaic theocracy.

At least it was theirs.

[Pannonian]

Uuuh, they are a different ethnicity, culture and country.
They were part o an Empire, not a nation. So I don't think there is a valid comparison there.

The Republic of China claims authority over all of Qing China. So does the People's Republic. Both the mainland and the integrationists in Taiwan claim Tibet to be part of China, as defined by the borders at the turn of the 20th century. I think they've got used to the loss of Mongolia now (although their maps still read "Outer Mongolia", as in the province), but every Chinese map, whichever side of the civil conflict they fall on, includes Tibet and Xinjiang as part of China.

IMHO the Chinese should take up the Dalai Lama's offer to negotiate a semi-autonomous status for tibet, as even he says that independence is neither realistic nor desirable, and that all he asks for is cultural autonomy in return for Beijing's government in secular and civil affairs.

[Marshal Murat]

The Dalai Lama is willing to negotiate, and he doesn't even want an independent Tibet. The Dalai Lama has always said that he wants a semi-autonomous or autonomous Tibet, one free from the social controls of China. The Chinese control everything, and have been importing Han and Hui Chinese, forcing Tibetans to conform to the Communist Atheist ideals. The Tibetan people are being attacked culturally and socially. They don't have a problem paying the taxes, they just don't want to lose their identity to the Chinese.

I think that the Chinese stubborn refusal to negotiate with the terrorist Dalai Lama has dug them into a hole. A hole that to get out, they would have to admit that they were wrong, and governments hate that. The Chinese can only try to play this as the law and order, which is understandable, but they can't really spin this effectively. It's disgusting how this is allowed to go on, but it's 'Made in China'.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Uuuh, they are a different ethnicity, culture and country.

True enough, but China contains many different distinct ethnicities, such as Mongols - indeed, more Mongols than Mongolia itself.

[HoreTore]

Uuuh, they are a different ethnicity, culture and country.
They were part o an Empire, not a nation. So I don't think there is a valid comparison there.

What about the numerous states in Russia who wants to break away? They fit that description perfectly too.

Are we boycotting Russia too now?

Oh, might as well throw Spain in there as well... The Basques have their own culture, ethnicity and language, and they were absorbed by the spanish crown... Hey, what about Sameland in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland? Gotta boycott them(us) too. Hmm... Perhaps the native americans want their land back?

[Incongruous]

What about the numerous states in Russia who wants to break away? They fit that description perfectly too.

Are we boycotting Russia too now?

Oh, might as well throw Spain in there as well... The Basques have their own culture, ethnicity and language, and they were absorbed by the spanish crown... Hey, what about Sameland in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland? Gotta boycott them(us) too. Hmm... Perhaps the native americans want their land back?

Does stormin'Norman need an axe aswell?

I was talking about the comparison made.
I mean, Tibet was originally it's own Kingdom. China was an Empire, not a nation state. Kosovo was never it's own kingdom, but it got freedom.

[DemonArchangel]

The Dalai Lama is willing to negotiate, and he doesn't even want an independent Tibet. The Dalai Lama has always said that he wants a semi-autonomous or autonomous Tibet, one free from the social controls of China. The Chinese control everything, and have been importing Han and Hui Chinese, forcing Tibetans to conform to the Communist Atheist ideals. The Tibetan people are being attacked culturally and socially. They don't have a problem paying the taxes, they just don't want to lose their identity to the Chinese.

I think that the Chinese stubborn refusal to negotiate with the terrorist Dalai Lama has dug them into a hole. A hole that to get out, they would have to admit that they were wrong, and governments hate that. The Chinese can only try to play this as the law and order, which is understandable, but they can't really spin this effectively. It's disgusting how this is allowed to go on, but it's 'Made in China'.

Unfortunately, the pissing contest in that section of the world is somewhat older than communism. Much, much, much older than communism, Mao, or anything like that. The Chinese have been at odds with the Tibetans in some shape or form since the 800s A.D.

As an additional note, there is also no such thing as "Han" or "Hui" because China is extremely complex in terms of ethnicity. Han is just a generic description of Chinese that don't know what they are, and Hui is just a Chinese Muslim.

[Quirinus]

Oh, might as well throw Spain in there as well... The Basques have their own culture, ethnicity and language, and they were absorbed by the spanish crown...

Uh..... don't they have self-government? Basque Country Autonomous Community?

[Oleander Ardens]

Being a member of an minority which became part of another nation in rather or better very debatable fashion I sensitive about those issues. More so as I have met some very nice Tibetans on the Indian side of the Himalaya. But even an unbiased viewer must register that large nations have the unpleasent tendency to regard the often beneficial calls for autonomy as seperatism. By doing so they often get a rally for seperatism by the oppressed peoples. Then things tend to get bloody.

[naut]

Boycott China '08! YEH! Hi five, Portugal!

[HoreTore]

Uh..... don't they have self-government? Basque Country Autonomous Community?

Yeah. Call the ETA, they're not too happy about it.

Yes, I know that the Dalai Lama says he doesn't want a completely independent Tibet. He should say that to the organizations called "Free Tibet", etc...

Though I suppose that "Negotiate A Semi-Autonomous Tibet" isn't as catchy as "Free Tibet"...

[Sarmatian]

Isn't this againt the entire idea and purpose of the Olympic games? I mean this is supposed to be something that connects people, that brings them together, regardless of politics and war... About people, not about goverment policies.

[Geoffrey S]

Politics enter the matter as soon as a country claims the right to host such Games, as soon as it states that it is worthy to be host to a long tradition - as soon as it does so, people have a right to expect certain standards. Arguably, this is not the case in China.

[Moros]

It's not like Tibet is the only reason to boycot the games either.

[woad&fangs]

Tibet pales in comparison to Darfur. Darfur is the very definition of a genocide and the Chinese government funded the perpetrators .

China claiming their boundaries to be that of a former empire is idiotic. Using that logic they should be split up between Japan, Mongolia, and a half dozen European countries.

[Pannonian]

Can the UK boycott the Games as well? That way, we can blame our lack of medals on our clean moral conscience, rather than our crap athletes.

China claiming their boundaries to be that of a former empire is idiotic. Using that logic they should be split up between Japan, Mongolia, and a half dozen European countries.

Do you support the Dalai Lama's position on Tibet?

[Mikeus Caesar]

Tibet pales in comparison to Darfur. Darfur is the very definition of a genocide and the Chinese government funded the perpetrators .

China claiming their boundaries to be that of a former empire is idiotic. Using that logic they should be split up between Japan, Mongolia, and a half dozen European countries.

Indeed. By that logic, we shouldn't have given them back Hong Kong because it was part of our former empire. But then they'd throw a hissy-fit wouldn't they, because us 'imperialists' are in the wrong. And China is in the right. Because obviously China is never in the wrong...

[Sarmatian]

Hong Kong wasn't British. You got Hong Kong on a lease for 99 years.

Any national olympic commitee that refuses to participate in the Olympics should be fined and/or suspended by the IOC.