Some brave souls...
Two Vancouverites among six detained after protest in Beijing
Meagan Fitzpatrick
CanWest News Service
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
OTTAWA -- Two Canadians are among six protesters being detained by Chinese authorities after unfurling a banner on the Great Wall of China protesting China's presence in Tibet, according to the group that organized the demonstration.
Melanie Raoul and Sam Price, both Vancouver residents, have not been heard from since about 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday in Beijing, said Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet.
The Canadians and four other protesters began their demonstration about 90 minutes earlier (about 6 p.m. PT on Monday) when they unfurled a 450-square-foot banner reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008."
The protest was organized to mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The slogan for the Games is "One World, One Dream."
The group Students for a Free Tibet maintain that the Chinese government is exploiting the 2008 Summer Olympics and that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is allowing it to spread "propaganda."
"The Chinese government is trying to use the 2008 Olympics as a tool to legitimize its illegal occupation of Tibet and also to gain acceptance as a leader on the world stage and we think that's totally unacceptable because of the reality on the ground and the real situation inside Tibet which is one of very, very brutal occupation and oppression and suppression of human rights," Dorjee said in an interview from the organization's New York office.
He said the IOC is standing by while China tries to project a false image. "The IOC is actually culpable. They are actually allowing Chinese authorities to use the Olympics as a platform to promote China's image as a free and open society and to promote the Tibetans as happy and prosperous living under Chinese rule," Dorjee said.
Dorjee said the group is trying to get help from consulate offices in China to locate where the protesters were taken by Chinese authorities. Three of the other protesters are American and one is British.
At this point, Students for a Free Tibet does not have confirmation that its six members have been arrested and are assuming they are being held because they lost contact with the protesters.
"Because we haven't heard anything from them, we're assuming they're still in detention," said Dorjee.
During the demonstration, the protesters were communicating by cellphone with their colleagues and even uploaded video of themselves unfurling the banner using a laptop computer. While on the phone, one of the protesters said Chinese authorities were arriving on the scene and the group has not been heard from since. Dorjee suspects the group's two cell phones were confiscated.
A spokesperson from Canada's Foreign Affairs Department could not confirm if two Canadians are being detained in China but is investigating the report.
Dorjee said Raoul and Price have been members of Students for a Free Tibet, an international grassroots organization, for several years.
Two Vancouverites among six detained after protest in Beijing
Meagan Fitzpatrick
CanWest News Service
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
OTTAWA -- Two Canadians are among six protesters being detained by Chinese authorities after unfurling a banner on the Great Wall of China protesting China's presence in Tibet, according to the group that organized the demonstration.
Melanie Raoul and Sam Price, both Vancouver residents, have not been heard from since about 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday in Beijing, said Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet.
The Canadians and four other protesters began their demonstration about 90 minutes earlier (about 6 p.m. PT on Monday) when they unfurled a 450-square-foot banner reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008."
The protest was organized to mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The slogan for the Games is "One World, One Dream."
The group Students for a Free Tibet maintain that the Chinese government is exploiting the 2008 Summer Olympics and that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is allowing it to spread "propaganda."
"The Chinese government is trying to use the 2008 Olympics as a tool to legitimize its illegal occupation of Tibet and also to gain acceptance as a leader on the world stage and we think that's totally unacceptable because of the reality on the ground and the real situation inside Tibet which is one of very, very brutal occupation and oppression and suppression of human rights," Dorjee said in an interview from the organization's New York office.
He said the IOC is standing by while China tries to project a false image. "The IOC is actually culpable. They are actually allowing Chinese authorities to use the Olympics as a platform to promote China's image as a free and open society and to promote the Tibetans as happy and prosperous living under Chinese rule," Dorjee said.
Dorjee said the group is trying to get help from consulate offices in China to locate where the protesters were taken by Chinese authorities. Three of the other protesters are American and one is British.
At this point, Students for a Free Tibet does not have confirmation that its six members have been arrested and are assuming they are being held because they lost contact with the protesters.
"Because we haven't heard anything from them, we're assuming they're still in detention," said Dorjee.
During the demonstration, the protesters were communicating by cellphone with their colleagues and even uploaded video of themselves unfurling the banner using a laptop computer. While on the phone, one of the protesters said Chinese authorities were arriving on the scene and the group has not been heard from since. Dorjee suspects the group's two cell phones were confiscated.
A spokesperson from Canada's Foreign Affairs Department could not confirm if two Canadians are being detained in China but is investigating the report.
Dorjee said Raoul and Price have been members of Students for a Free Tibet, an international grassroots organization, for several years.
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