Olympics: Tensions mount over human rights in China

Pre-Olympic tensions are growing after the detention in Beijing of Britons over a pro-Tibet protest and highly critical comments from President Bush about China's human rights record. Four demonstrators from the US and UK were escorted away by police after they climbed electricity poles at dawn and unfurled outlawed Tibetan flags and Free Tibet banners in English and Chinese. The four staged their protest near the landmark Bird's Nest stadium, the main venue for the games, where the opening ceremony will take place. The demonstration was one of several protests by foreigners in the city, underlining the clash between competing views of the Olympics. Thousands of euphoric, albeit carefully vetted, spectators cheered the arrival of the torch in Tiananmen Square. Crowds chanted: "Go Olympics - go Beijing" as the basketball star Yao Ming, one of the nation's biggest sporting heroes, carried the flame past the portrait of Mao Zedong that hangs on the Tiananmen gate. The celebrations are due to intensify tomorrow as world leaders begin arriving ahead of Friday's ceremony. But the US president may face a chilly reception after expressing "deep concerns" about China's lack of political freedom. According to an early release of a speech he will give in Thailand, hours before catching a flight to Beijing, he will warn: "America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. "We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights–not to antagonize China's leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential." The foreign ministry last week condemned Bush's meeting prominent Chinese dissidents in Washington. It also accused US politicians of displaying "evil motives" and trying to "sabotage the Olympics" after the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning Beijing's record on human rights. But the debate over such issues shows no sign of fading, with activists launching a series of protests before the Olympics has even begun. In a phone call from his 15 meter-high protest point on Aug. 5, the pro-Tibet campaigner Iain Thom told supporters: "We have done this action today to highlight the Chinese government's use of the Beijing Olympics as a propaganda tool to whitewash their human rights." The state news agency, Xinhua, said police had ended the protest after 12 minutes, but the group Students for a Free Tibet said activists had been there for an hour before security officers led them away peacefully. It said Thom, 24, was from Scotland while another protester, Lucy Marion, 23, was from England. "As far as we know, foreigners gathered illegally, and we express our strong opposition to that," said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing organizing committee. We will resist all attempts to politicize the Olympics." "We have laws regarding assembly and demonstrations, and we hope that foreigners will respect the laws of China." Sun said the demonstrators had not been arrested or taken to a police station. No one had been able to contact the activists by this evening. The British embassy has requested immediate consular access. In a separate incident, a European activist arranged the screening of a film about Tibetan views of the Olympics in Beijing. The event was halted when his hotel asked reporters to leave, but public security officials waiting at the venue did not intervene directly. The Tibet issue has dogged the Olympics since March's violent riots in Lhasa and wider protests across Tibetan areas led to a security clampdown. Activists responded with demonstrations along the international leg of the torch relay, in turn sparking anger among the Chinese. Other protests today included a demonstration by three Americans who loudly denounced China's population control policies in Tiananmen Square after the torch had passed through. Police allowed them to leave the area after questioning them briefly. Journalists also received messages summoning them to two hotel rooms in Beijing containing dummies splattered with red paint. The walls had been defaced with slogans, including: "One World, Our Nightmare" -- a play on the Olympic "One World, One Dream" message -- and a list of jailed dissidents. It was not clear who had carried out the protest. The US swimmer Amanda Beard, an Athens 2004 gold medalist, unveiled an anti-fur advert outside the Olympic village after the authorities prevented her from staging a news conference in a hotel for "safety" reasons. The government has designated zones for protest in parks around the city, but human rights campaigners warn that Chinese citizens will be deterred from taking part by the fear of reprisals, and several groups have already been denied permits. Other activists have been unable to enter the country. Team Darfur, a coalition of athletes seeking to draw attention to the conflict in Sudan, said that Beijing revoked the visa of its co-founder, the Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek at the last moment.