China must face consequences
Greg Sheridan; 10/4/08
Kevin Rudd has handled a difficult assignment in China with courage and integrity. This was never more evident than in his comments about Tibet to students at Beijing University yesterday. The trip’s structure overemphasises China, creating an added burden in managing relations. That leg of the trip has been dominated by China’s recent brutal crackdown in Tibet, and the resultant international protests against the Olympic torch as it makes its way towards Beijing. Rudd began the trip with honesty at his joint press conference with US President George W. Bush. Before Bush did so, Rudd raised Tibet and said it was plain that there were human rights abuses being carried out by China against Tibetans and that China should engage in dialogue with Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23513666-7583,00.html
No foreign guards when the torch comes to Canberra
Phillip Coorey & Deborah Snow;11/4/08
China can send as many security personnel to Canberra as it likes but they will not be guarding the Olympic torch as it is carried through the streets, Kevin Rudd said yesterday. The Prime Minister said the tracksuited paramilitaries would be confined to a bus, which they could leave only if the flame was extinguished and needed relighting. Mr Rudd explained the decision to the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiaboa, during their meeting in Beijing. The paramilitaries masquerading as athletes have become a feature of the controversy surrounding the torch’s tempestuous passage through London, Paris and San Francisco. The torch has become a lightning rod for those protesting against human rights abuses in Tibet.
See; http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/no-foreign-guards-when-the-torch-comes-to-canberra/2008/04/10/1207420587834.html
Tags: Australia, China, Foreign Security Out, Tibet