Should we now boycott Olympics because of Burma?

[junketman]

I know there are sceptics of boycotts of any kind who would prefer to watch or go to the Olympics and see them as great sporting spectacles and ignore the human rights abuses and support for human rights abusers by the host nation.

I'm the kind of person who cannot enjoy a sporting occasion if I know someone a few miles down the road in the same country is being tortured, executed, or being imprisioned for their politics. Perhaps in this regard I am different to most people who just follow the merry go around of corporate sponsered sporting events and ignore the human suffering of the ordinary people.

I was prepared to ignore the Chinese support for Burma during the recent crackdown. I was prepared to ignore their support for the Sudanese government in their crackdown against the Darfur people. I was even prepared to ignore their support for the Zimbabwean government in their crackdown on the opposition. I thought none of these probably merited a boycott of the Olympics.

But I am not prepared to ignore the current wilful Burmese genocide of their people because of their unwillingness to let in aid and aid workers. The Burmese in no way shape or form can cater for the needs of their people. They dont have the air capability to reach cut off areas. They dont have the boats. They dont have enough vehicles. They dont have the medical training. Most of all they dont have the experience of dealing with such crises, which experienced aid workers have.

Clearly the only government the Burmese dictatorship listen to are the Chinese government. If the Chinese said let in international aid and aid workers i have a feeling the Burmese Junta would let them in.

Pressuring the Burmese government seems a waste of time, they only derive propaganda value from such pressure and seem to clam up the more the west pressures them. But they do listen to the Chinese because they are dependent on the Chinese for military support. The solution then is to put pressure on the Chinese.

The best way to do this is for Ireland and other countries to threathen to boycott the Olympics if the Chinese do not put pressure on the Burmese junta to let in aid and aid workers. This should be made clear to all Chinese ambassadors right away.

We, the people of the west can no longer believe with such a disaster in Burma looming, that sport and politics should be kept seperate. We cannot go to the Olympics and believe it is a great occassion when millions of people are put at risk by Chinese support for the Burmese junta and their willful genoicide of their own people.

I know there will be idiots on here who oppose a boycott and frankly I think anyone who opposes a boycott at this stage is idiotic.

[Undercover Reporter]

The Olympics will be over quite soon. Then what?

[irishpeoplearewhingers]

we knew they were ******************************************s when we gave them the Olympics and we didn't care , so it would be a bit dodgy to suddenly start caring now.

[Undercover Reporter]

we knew they were ******************************************s when we gave them the Olympics and we didn't care , so it would be a bit dodgy to suddenly start caring now.

Your name really suits you with a post like that.

[junketman]

I am not going to compromise on this issue.

The point I am making is that the majority of Irish people are appalled by the treatment and willful neglect by the Burmese government of their people and the fact that they are impounding food supplies probably for their own personal use.

Secondly, the Burmese Junta dont care about their people or if they all died.

Thirdly if this is the case then its up to the rest of the world to care about the Burmese people including you and I.

Fourthly, the Chinese government, probably the one government who could demand a change in policy by the Burmese, don't seem to care about the Burmese people.

Fifthly, if the Chinese government doesnt demand a change in policy by the Burmese government then we should boycott the Olympics and immediately.

Six, we cannot now just go to the Olympics and partake in the charade and pretend the Chinese government are nice people.
The Chinese government are on a par with the Burmese government if they dont call for a change in policy.

Seven, to go to the Olympics is to ignore the support of the Chinese for practically every dictatorship in the world and thier human rights abuses. The Chinese like it or not are easily as bad as the Nazis in Germany of 1936. This Olympics is the 1936 Olympics of our day.

Finally at this stage I dont give a **** about drugged up athletes from upper class and middle class backgrounds who themselves dont give a **** about Darfur, Zimbabwe and Burma. Are we to ignore the millions of people who might die for the sake of our twenty or so mediocre athletes who will be knocked out in the first round of their event and for whom the Olympics is a holiday at the Irish taxpayers cost.

[Undercover Reporter]

They should never had got the Olympics and yes I agree we should boycott.

But I am a little wary of your reasoning. 'Lets boycot the Beijing Olympics because of Burma' 'because of sudan' 'Because of Tibet' If each, or one of these issues are fixed, then we should not boycott any more?

there are numberous issues, really numberous issues that are valid reasons why civilised society should not have deadlings with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). the CCP should be isolated until it collapses. I said in previous posts the best way to do this is to support the millions of people quitting the CCP. Its peaceful and effective and safe:

http://en.epochtimes.com/211,95,,1.html

[Bogwarrior]

The Olympics will be over quite soon. Then what?

Then we call for a boycott of the London Olympics 2012, for their actions in Iraq, and Ireland....No?

[Undercover Reporter]

The Olympics will be over quite soon. Then what?

Then we call for a boycott of the London Olympics 2012, for their actions in Iraq, and Ireland....No?

The Olympics are a good chance to bring pressure on a country for change. But in a country like Brittan there are other effective ways such as lobbying your local TD or councillor. Supporting government officals or parties that share your views and going out to campaign for them. Joining human rights groups such as Amnesty and dontating you time to proactively change things for the better. If you have the moral high ground with your arguement and are persistent there is every chance you will be successful because like it or not Brittian and Ireland are democracies where the people choose who represents them. Like in the US, when the president did stuff the majority of people did not like then they voted the other party into the lower house and made him a lame duck president. Now the US people can decide to stay or leave iraq by choosing democrate or republican. Its a democracy, not perfect but one of the best systems we have. Comparing any free democracy to China and the CCP is an insult to the brave people to fought for our freedom, and is also an affront to the people in China who are doing the same.

All of the above are impossible in China.

[Bogwarrior]

But didn't millions of British people march against the occupation of Iraq in 2003?
Did the democratics listen?
Incidentally the Dalai Lama has accepted Tibet is part of China, so one could argue the occupation of Iraq, with it's DAILY killings by Government death squads and US/UK gunmen is considerably worse than whats going on in Tibet or even Burma.
Neither has China been involved in any recent aeriel bombardments against civilian targets as the UK have in Serbia, Afghanistan etc.
Give me one good reason why I should boycott the Chinese Olympics and not the London one.

[Undercover Reporter]

boycott the Chinese Olympics and not the London one.

I never said not to Boycott the London one.

Regarding your take on democracy: Yes you are right we can not vote out a government with every bad decision they take. It would be an awful mess if we could as every un-popular decision is not a bad one. Sometimes a bit of time helps. So the thing is with democracies in the west that it takes around 4 to 5 years before you get another chance to choose.

100,000 people marching is effective and will get change because if they dont the people they represent will vote them out next time as is their choice.

Another thing in a democracy is that we have to repsect the will of the majority. If you are part of a big group but are not the majority then you will still loose, of course you always have the right to question and try to win the majority but the bottom line is if the majority do not agree with you then you loose.

Back to China. they are an illegitamet click of gansters that are presiding over a failed system and they are a threat to the rest of the world. Boycott by all means, do everything we can to be shut of them.