CHINA/ USA: Desmond Tutu and Richard Gere protest for Tibetans, while Australian PM urges dialogue to solve crisis

Record ID: 605289

  • Title: CHINA/ USA: Desmond Tutu and Richard Gere protest for Tibetans, while Australian PM urges dialogue to solve crisis
  • Date: 8th April 2008
  • Summary: T (W2) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 7, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHINATOWN IN LOS ANGELES/ RESTAUNRANT SIGN PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) XIUN, SAYING: "I think China is China, and it's a communist country and everyone knows that, the whole world knows that. If you are talking about human rights, I think China is making very good progress on that, I've been in America for two years, and I don't think this place has total human rights, I really do not think so."
  • Embargoed: 23rd April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA35EB2DAV3O8XN5V04EGQUL3CW
  • Story Text: As Desmond Tutu and Richard Gere join thousands at a protest rally in the US condemning China and the planned Olympic torch relay in San Francisco, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urges dialogue not violence over Tibet in a speech to students at a Beijing university.
    Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actor Richard Gere joined thousands at a pro-Tibet vigil in San Francisco Tuesday (April 8), where they both encouraged heads of state to boycott the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics this summer.
    Many human rights groups have mobilised in San Francisco, the only U.S.
    city to host the Olympic torch as it makes its way to the games in August, with reasons for opposition ranging from China's rule in Tibet to Beijing's policies toward Darfur and Myanmar.
    Speaking at a news conference held before the protest rally at the U.N.
    Plaza, Tutu said he would not call for a boycott of the Olympics as a protest against China's clampdown on unrest in Tibet, but that world leaders should not attend the opening ceremony.

    "We're not at a moment where we are calling for a boycott of the games because the athletes have spent a lot of time preparing, and you don't want to penalise them unnecessarily, but I am certainly calling on heads of state not to attend the opening ceremony, to register their disapproval, their disgust really," says Tutu.
    Tutu added that the Olympic torch should not go be taken on its planned route through Tibet this summer.

    "I think that would be a very provocative action. And that, for goodness sakes, they have one of the most wonderful human beings, the Dalai Lama, instead of vilifying him as they are doing, which no one believes, except they themselves, here is someone who has bent over backwards begging the Chinese to engage in negotiations with him," he said.
    Tibet has been on military lockdown since March 10, when Buddhist monks began to protest the Chinese occupation in the Himalayan country. Since then, cities worldwide have been host to scores of protesters voicing their disapproval of China's decision to continue the torch relay through Tibet, even though it is under military rule. The relay has been protested previously in Greece, Britain and France.
    Film star Richard Gere, the chairman of International Campaign for Tibet, expressed his gratitude to the crowds for keeping the Tibet issue in the international limelight.

    "This is one of those decisive moments," says Gere.
    "It's been really peculiar, usually we have to fight to find places to give interviews to to talk about the Tibet subject, but something has happened obviously, which spontaneously, the universe has opened up."
    Thousands of protesters are expected to line the planned route of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco, and extra police officers have been called to duty for the event. Earlier in the week, three protesters were arrested for hanging banners reading "Free Tibet" from the Golden Gate Bridge.
    Many Chinese Americans in Los Angeles and San Francisco are looking towards the upcoming Beijing Olympics with a sense of pride, but in recent days, some have begun to voice their displeasure with protesters who are calling upon China to end its rule of Tibet.
    The Olympic torch embarks on its only U.S. relay in San Francisco on Wednesday (April 9), where large protests against Chinese policies are expected in a city famous for its tradition of demonstrations.

    "I think China is China, and it's a communist country and everyone knows that, the whole world knows that. If you are talking about human rights, I think China is making very good progress on that, I've been in America for two years, and I don't think this place has total human rights, I really do not think so," says Xiun, a resident of Los Angeles.
    The planned San Francisco protests have irritated some in the Chinese community, the largest of any major U.S. city, many of whom are proud their ancestral motherland is hosting the global sporting event, a time which is generally thought to be free of politics.

    "I think most of them, they don't know about the history, about Tibet or something, they just follow somebody else," said John, a resident of San Francisco.
    In Beijing, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday (April 9) reiterated his opposition to a boycott of the Beijing Games but called on China to solve its "significant" human rights problems in Tibet through dialogue.
    He surprised his audience at Peking University, a top Chinese university, by speaking in fluent Mandarin. Rudd said he was aware of the human rights situation in the country.

    "China is facing a lot of problems, such as poverty, disparity, and the widely existing problems of human rights," Rudd said.
    Addressing hundreds of Chinese students in a conference room, Rudd urged both China and the Tibetan protesters to solve the human rights issues through talks, not confrontation.

    "Australia, like most of the other countries, recognises China's sovereignty over Tibet, but we also think it is necessary to admit that in Tibet, problems concerning human rights do exist. Currently, Australian people feel worried about the situation in Tibet. We think all the parties should avoid violence and seek solution through dialogue," he said.
    Rudd stressed that he did not agree with those calling for a boycott of the August Games and said the event was important for improving communication between China and the rest of the world.
    The Olympics first held a torch relay in 1936, the year dictator Adolf Hitler made the Berlin games a showcase of Nazi propaganda. Although subsequent Olympics have sparked political controversy -- such as the 1980 Games in Moscow shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and a U.S.
    boycott -- the torch run has not lured protesters.
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