TROUBLE LOOMING FOR BEIJING OLYMPICS
Beijing may be the most contentious Games in Olympic history. Control problems sparked by the dictatorial Chinese government may overshadow both the athletes and the events.
Yang Huanning, China's public security official, claims that the Beijing Olympics are being threatened by sabotage from anti-Chinese forces. The international press is accusing Chinese authorities of being insanely paranoid.
The Chinese government has been cracking down harshly on any sign of protest; arresting, jailing and even executing those labeled "troublemakers." On July 4th, one well-known national activist was sentenced to five years in prison for saying publicly that human rights were more important than the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, authorities were stunned when 30,000 people in the rural southwest province of Guizhou rioted over what they said was a police cover-up of a young girl's rape and murder. The rioters burned down the police station and torched more than 40 vehicles. The police had claimed the 17-year-old had jumped in a river and drowned, but residents of the area said a relative of the police chief killed the teenager.
Authorities, hoping to stamp out growing protests, arrested over 100 of the rioters, but that only increased public anger. In an unusual response to civil disobedience, authorities fired the police chief and eight other top officials in Guizhou and announced that local police had allowed crime to spread.
At the same time that Chinese citizens are making their discontent known, authorities are having to deal with promises made to international media; promises they no longer wish to keep. Tiananmen Square, a famous landmark still known for a bloody massacre in 1989, when the military killed hundreds of people who had peacefully gathered to demonstrate for democracy, had been placed off limits to the press, despite the fact that the site was also the start of the Olympic marathon. In addition, the Chinese government had promised complete press freedom during its Olympic bid in order to land the Games; but recently banned all live broadcast coverage.
The dictatorial government wants broadcasters to praise China and show its growth and economic success. But those pesky reporters keep wanting to bring up the subjects of Tibet and Darfur, as well as frequent incarceration for even the most minor offense, and the murky little secret of China's extensive transplant services, with organs obtained from jailed prisoners, whose deaths are explained as "escape attempts.".
An emergency meeting was held last week with officials from the International Olympic Committee, international broadcasters and the Chinese government. The government reluctantly agreed to allow limited live broadcasting from Tiananmen Square, and to allow satellite trucks to roam through Beijing for stories. But now there are reports that broadcasters will have to request permission to film 24 hours in advance. There is also a growing list of areas around Beijing where reporters are not allowed to go. There are reports that NBC, which paid billions of dollars for the right to broadcast the Olympics, is actually fighting with Chinese authorities to get more live air time.
The Chinese thought the Olympics would be an easy piece of cake to show off their economic and modernization miracles. But they may be forced to show a lot more than they ever realized; or want to. The Games that begin August 8 may be much more serious than anyone ever thought possible.