Three men from a free-press group ran onto the field of the stadium in Ancient Olympia during yesterday's flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Games, evading massive security aimed at preventing such disruptions in the wake of China's crackdown in Tibet.
Three members of the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders were detained after their protest, which occurred as Liu Qi (
One protester held a banner showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs.
PHOTO: AP
"If the Olympic flame is sacred, human rights are even more so," the French group said in a statement. "We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic situation of human rights in the country."
Moments later, a Tibetan woman covered herself in red paint and lay in the road in front of a runner carrying the Olympic torch into the village of ancient Olympia, while other protesters chanted "Free Tibet" and "Shame on China."
Two protesters were seen being detained by police. Pro-Tibet groups said four of their members had been detained.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge attended the ceremony, where the sun's rays were used to kindle the flame.
"It's always sad when there are protests. But they were not violent and I think that's the important thing," Rogge said.
Greek authorities denounced the incidents.
"The Greek government condemns every attempt to interfere with the ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame, through actions that have no relation at all with the Olympic Spirit," spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said.
When the stadium incident took place, China state TV cut away to a prerecorded scene, preventing Chinese viewers from seeing the protest. TV commentators on Chinese TV never mentioned what took place.
Greek TV commentary also made no mention of the incident.
Tibet's deadly protests started March 10 in the capital of Lhasa on the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The demonstrations turned violent four days later, touching off demonstrations among Tibetans in three neighboring provinces.
Beijing's official death toll from the rioting is 22, but the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile has said 99 Tibetans have been killed.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called yesterday for "restraint" in Tibet, and offered France as a go-between in any new talks between China and the representatives of the Dalai Lama.
A statement from Sarkozy's office said he sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao (
"The president calls for restraint and the end of violence through dialogue in Tibet," the statement said.
Sarkozy said France was available -- as part of a French-Chinese partnership -- to facilitate a resumption of talks.
Pierre Moscovici, a leader of the opposition Socialists, was quoted in a French newspaper over the weekend as criticizing Sarkozy for a "deafening silence" about the situation in Tibet.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS