Friday, May 2, 2008
Torch Relay in Hong Kong
The Olympic Torch Relay went through Hong Kong this Friday the 2nd of May. Friends of ours planned to distribute copies of His Holiness' recent public statements in both Chinese and English (http://www.tibet.net/) in the hope of increasing awareness of his stance.
They had banners with messages appealing for "The Middle-Way Approach" of Genuine Autonomy for Tibet, (avoiding any messages for a "free Tibet" or a boycott of the Olympics). They said, "It is frustrating to be so helpless in the face of the humanitarian matters which extend far further than the issues facing Tibet and its people, and however small these efforts are, please, if you have the time, any and all help will be greatly appreciated."
They met at the Central Government Pier at 2:30 pm.
See: The Middle-Way Approach; "Genuine Autonomy" for Tibet at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16293871317&ref=mf
The Guardian reported:
"Police removed human rights protesters from the streets of Hong Kong this morning as the anger of pro-China supporters flared on the first day of the Olympic torch's domestic journey."
We have not heard from them yet, we hope all went well and was peaceful.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/02/china.olympicgames20081
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7378193.stm
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1 comment:
Hey Rich (and Kaz!), didn't manage to get to the torch relay till about 4pm for the closing part of it, but it was absolutely mad. Patriotic fervour at its materialist best! Never thought I'd see so many HK people actually giving a shit about China that much (perhaps they were all bussed in from Shenzen?)
Meghan was there a few hours earlier though with her big banner - she's got some funny, fucked up stories to tell about that. 20 man police cordon around her, journalists jockeying to hand out their business cards to her and cameras everywhere. Apparently she's in one of the big local newspapers here...but thats a story she can tell you more about :)
Anyway, they were cracking down quite hardcore it seems...so much for One country, Two systems...
Hope all is well :)
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