Activists will demonstrate in Beijing during the Olympics to press China to help end bloodshed in Darfur, a group said yesterday, adding to the government's public relations headaches as it tries to quell protests in Tibet.
The announcement came as two US-based groups released a report that accused Beijing of blocking efforts to compel the Sudanese government to end fighting in its western Darfur region.
"We are planning some actions during the Games themselves in Beijing," Dream for Darfur executive director Jill Savitt said in a conference call with reporters.
Savitt said the group was keeping details secret "for fear we would not be able to pull off those events."
Activists are calling on Beijing, a diplomatic ally of Sudan and buyer of its oil, to help end fighting in Darfur.
They have been pressing Olympics sponsors to lobby Beijing for action or face pickets at their headquarters or other protests.
In their report, Dream for Darfur and Save Darfur rejected Beijing's assertions that it has been trying to bring peace to the region.
They accused China, a permanent Security Council member, of blocking or weakening UN measures to compel Sudan to end the violence while supplying Khartoum with weapons.
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
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