One month to go: Beijing prepares to deliver
Rice in China to seek progress on North KoreaThe May 12 Sichuan earthquake and the genuine outpouring of emotion over the death of nearly 70,000 people altered some perceptions of China, turning the award of the Olympics "from obscene accolade to worthy reward" in the words of British commentator Simon Jenkins.
TERRORISM CONCERN
But visa restrictions for visitors, plans to rid Beijing of petitioners, the homeless and migrant workers as well as the tight control of the media on "sensitive" legs of the domestic torch relay point to obsessive stage-management.
China says it views terrorism as the biggest threat to the Games and a 100,000-strong anti-terrorism force is already on alert.
Rights groups say Beijing is using the threat of terrorism to suppress internal dissent, especially in the restive far-Western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, which is home to more than 8 million Muslim Uighurs.
"We are worried that there will be an even more wide-scale crackdown on the Uighur people, especially over the next month," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress.
"China is using the final opportunity the Olympics presents to portray Uighurs to the international community as terrorists. We have always opposed China holding the Olympics. We are the biggest victims of it, even more so than the Tibetans."
Free Tibet is asking British athletes to express support for its cause by making a "T for Tibet" sign during the Games, it said in a statement on Monday.
American, Dutch and Australian athletes have already indicated their intention to express their concerns about human rights during the Games.
ALGAE STENCH
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